Rubian Destiny
by HikaEmerald
Summary: Replex Cosmos is a normal warrior in Perion. So he thought till he discovers about the Rubian mark he was born with. He sets out to the rest of Victoria Island to trace his origins, and find others who had the same fate as him. Kinda AU.
1. Prologue

Summary: Replex Cosmos is a normal warrior in Perion. Or so he thought till he discovers about the Rubian Mark he was born with. He sets out to the rest of Victoria Island to trace his origins, as well as others who had the same fate as him.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are MINE.

Author's Note: This takes place before big bang/pirates/re-arrangement of the island of Victoria. This story takes elements from the online game and the DS game(slightly). But I do not own them, only the plot and the original characters.

_Italics_= Thoughts

Chapter 1: Prologue

A large sandstorm brewed over a dry area, sweeping up five children in its strong gusts. As if on instinct, the five children locked their hands with each other to ensure they are not separated.

A young boy hung on dearly to the hand of a small girl, screaming out, 'Princess, don't let go of my hand!" His cries were drowned out by the winds of the storm, as the children were thrown around in the vortex, slowly breaking from each other.

"_No__… __Don__'__t __let __go__…"_

However, the girl's grip weakened, her small fingers unable to wrap around the boy's. A sudden gust of wind hit them, and the two were separated.

"_No!"_

Echoes of "No" rang throughout a quiet, empty valley. A lone teenage boy with crimson hair bolted up suddenly from lying down on the hard rock. He trembled slightly from the pain in his dream. His previously neatly parted hair was a mess and his glasses were askew from his sudden movement. He wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his gloved hand.

"Darn it," he muttered, clenching his orange shirt so tightly that his knuckles showed, his face slightly pale. His ruby eyes gazed towards the mountainous region that lay beyond the cliff on which he sat.

"The same dream again?" The young teenager questioned himself, arranging his hair back to being parted neatly in the middle, tying the rest into a long ponytail behind him. As he adjusted his glasses, he stood up, resting his hands on his ice blue jeans after he was done.

"_Recently,__I __feel __like __something __is __calling __out __to __me, __beyond __Perion__'__s __mountains,__"_ The tall teenager thought to himself, looking at the mountains, covered with white, misty clouds.

"Replex Cosmos!"

The teen Replex turned his head away from the scenery for a second, and his eyes widened when he saw a familiar face.

"You're…"

Replex was rudely cut off when a purple spiky-haired bespectacled teen came up to him in his face. "Where in Perion have you been! I ran all over town looking for you!"

The purple hair teen panted heavily, white-lined green shirt soaked with sweat, his face flushed from his running. His hands crossed as he stood up straight again, irritation was written all over his face. His purple eyes flashed fiercely at Replex, expecting an answer. Replex laughed sheepishly, scratching the side of his face.

"I'm sorry, Karamel. You know I love hanging out at this cliff corner of Perion," He replied, drawing a sigh from Karamel.

"I swear, anyone could just push you off this cliff and that would be the end of you. Wait, that's not what I'm here for!" Replex tilted his head to the side, curious. "Master Dances with Balrog has been looking for you for the past half an hour!"

Replex tilted his head to the other side, a puzzled look on his face, taking his time to absorb what Karamel had just said. His jaw then dropped as he realized he had kept his master waiting.

Karamel shook his head in exasperation. "Really, you ought to-" He was cut off as a blur of red, rushed past him. Karamel gave a scowl as he turned swiftly walking back into Perion, the city in the mountains and the home of the Warriors.

"He sure is fast, that young boy…" He muttered softly to himself.

Perion, the city in the mountains. It was a city sited in the North end of the floating island of Victoria. It was home to the warriors and the tribe of Red Indian-like people, who have managed to tame the harsh surroundings. Tents populated the area, built on different levels at the highest part of the mountains. Even though the vegetation was sparse, the locals have managed to survive on trade between the other cities of Victoria, such as water from Kerning and vegetables from Ellina. Perion herself produces meat while hunting the Wild Boars that populate the outskirts of the city.

Replex was now running up the rocky steps of the tent-filled town, running to the highest point in the city. "Damn, why must Master Dances with Balrog's place be all the way at the top," he cursed, finally at the top of the flight of steps. As he tried to catch his breath, he walked over to a large stone building, sweat dripping down the sides of his face and down the tips of his hair.

The front of the building had weird carvings on it, in a language that looked like random lines to Replex. The door had a circular crest, bearing ancient signs. The symbol of warriors, a shield overlapping two swords and an axe, was carved into the top of the building. Replex's face twitched slightly as he looked at the building that was literally towering over him.

"Gosh, I sure hope Master isn't mad," He mumbled, pressing his hands on the circular crest.

On his touch, energy flowed from the crest outwards, and the stone doors opened slowly, a loud groan coming from it, and light poured into the dark building. Inside, the walls were covered in darkness, the only light coming from two large torches at the end of the room, where a lone tanned individual sat on a rock throne in between the torches. He was reading a piece of paper, quill pen in one hand.

The adult wore a an Indian chief hat, his black hair framing his face as it fell over, war paint under his closed eyes. The tight creases on his beige shirt showed his muscular build. His legs were crossed, relaxed in the shorts they were in, and his hands look calloused and rough, evidence of harsh training. A feather charm hung around his right hand. In Replex's eyes, he was a towering figure, at least a head taller than him.

"_The __instructor __of __the __Warriors__… __Master __Dances __with __Balrog.__"_ Replex thought to himself.

As if on instinct, Dances with Balrog looked up from the piece of paper he was reading. Replex immediately scooted outside, hiding behind the door, fearful of incurring his master's wrath.

"No, I am not mad at you, Replex." Dances with Balrog sighed, putting his paper and pen aside. Feeling a sense of relief, Replex strolled in, standing before Dances with Balrog, bowing respectfully.

"Why did you call for me, Master," asked Replex. Seeing the look on Dances with Balrog's face darken, Replex took another try at asking. "Master?"

"Replex, do you… know where you were born?"

"I always thought I was born in Perion. Isn't that right?

Dances with Balrog lifted his head slightly, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. Despite Dances with Balrog's eyes being closed, Replex could feel his intense stare, as if he was being read by Dances with Balrog. Replex could also tell there was an internal conflict deep inside his master's heart, and waited with bated breath for his reply.

"This may be a bit hard to swallow Replex, but…" Dances with Balrog's voice faded, hesitant to finish what he said.

Replex folded his arms impatiently. "Just continue, master. I can take it." Honestly speaking, he was trying to hide the fear in his voice. While he was curious on what Dances with Balrog was hiding from him, he does not want to find out that he was not born in the town he had been living for 8 years, till his current age of fifteen.

A look of surprise was slightly evident on Dances with Balrog's face. "Very well. You and Karamel were both found outside of the village, eight years ago. At that time, it appeared that both of you have lost your memories, only remembering your names."

Dances with Balrog paused, letting Replex absorb the information he just said. Carefully, he looked at the teen, whose eyes were now mildly clouded with confusion. Multiple thoughts were running through Replex's head. He had no idea of his true origin. He always believe that he was born in Perion, and had gotten into an accident by falling off a cliff side while playing with Karamel, thus falling unconscious shortly afterward and losing part of his memories. He did have one burning question though.

"Why?" He whispered, his voice weak with shock, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "Why was this kept a secret from Karamel and I? Why?" He looked up at his master, trying to fight back his tears. "Why do you only tell me this now!" He yelled, before slowly withdrawing his anger.

"Who am I?" He whispered to himself.

Dances with Balrog got off his chair, walking towards Replex. Gently but firmly, he set his hands on Replex's shoulders. "I had to wait till you were fully grown up in order to break the news to you. You are Replex Ruby Cosmos, a proud warrior and the Pride of Perion. You are also a holder of the Rubian Crest."

Replex gave a blank look as he heard the last statement. "Rubian? Isn't that the red jewel that holds a great evil? Rumour has it that it was kept in a seal by the fallen Rubian Kingdom."

Dances with Balrog nodded. "Legend has it that the jewel will pick a few chosen ones for each generation of the Rubian Court to bear the crest. You and Karamel each have a crest."

Replex raised his eyebrows, a slightly sceptical look on his face. "But I don't see the crest anywhere."

Dances with Balrog chuckled lowly. "Remove your gloves, Replex." Replex glanced at the black fingerless gloves on his hands, before pulling them off. To his utter shock, an imprint of a sword in red was on the back of his right palm. "What, where, how?"

"I told you. That was the reason you and Karamel were told to never take off those gloves. Karamel has a similar marking, but in the shape of a rapier and the mark is on his left hand." Informed Dances with Balrog.

Another whirlwind of thoughts hit Replex. If he and Karamel were bearers of the Rubian Crest, why was he in Perion? He had no recollection of his memory, his only clue was that he was part of the Rubian Kingdom originally, which fell a few years back.

Replex's gaze suddenly dropped as he pulled his arms closer to his body. He asked, in a whispery voice, "You did not answer my previous question, master. Why are you telling me this now?"

Suddenly, a wrapped sword and shield flew out of nowhere. Replex hastily caught them before they struck the ground, cradling them in his arms. Dances with Balrog came from a dark corner, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Replex looked at the wrapped items, before looking back at Dances with Balrog, confused. Dances with Balrog tapped the ground with his foot impatiently, his arms folded across his chest.

"Well? Unwrap it." He hissed slightly.

Replex unwrap the items with care, his hands trembling from excitement and nervousness. The first thing he saw when the plain wrapping came off was a jewel-casted sheath and a triangular shield. Red rubies adorn the sheath and the shield alike. Replex pulled the sword out of its sheath, revealing a white blade and gold-plated hilt, a red jewel attached onto the joint where the blade and the hilt met. The shield had a reflective surface, so well-polished Replex could see his reflection on it. The rubies were cast on the three corners of the shield.

The mark on Replex's hand began to glow, and so did the red jewel on Replex's sword. A bright light engulfed him, blinding both him and Dances with Balrog for the moment. A voice echoed in Replex's head. "_Replex __Ruby __Cosmos, __I __hereby __recognise __you __as __my __owner_."

Replex snapped out of his stupor, looking back at the sword. "D-Did the sword just speak to me?" Dances with Balrog raised a curious eyebrow, clearing his throat to draw Replex's attention back to him.

"These weapons were passed to me by a mysterious stranger a few years ago, saying I would pass it onto someone in due time, the Rubian Sword and Shield."

Replex thought about it for a moment. Some stranger actually just handed the sword to him? Was this stranger a survivor of the fall of the Rubian Kingdom? And was that voice he heard really from the sword? As the questions went through his mind, Dances with Balrog placed his arms behind his back, walking out of the building. Replex, being curious, followed him.

When he looked out and down, a breath-taking view of the village was all he saw. The locals were moving about on their daily business, the tents appeared as tiny ants. All was peaceful, and the scenery was beautiful. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a little dot in the distance. Was that Karamel walking back to their tent?

Dances with Balrog took a deep breath, sighing. "Take a good look at the place you grew up for the past 8 years. For you may not see this view for awhile."

Replex turned his head sharply, shock clear on his face. "W-Why?"

Dances with Balrog turned to him, a grim look on his face as he gripped Replex's shoulder firmly, which made Replex wince slightly in pain.

"I want you to find your own destiny, Replex. I have taught you the necessary skills for you to survive out there. Travel around Victoria Island and find your own purpose in our world of Maple."

Replex was stunned. He had never gone further than a kilometre radius of Perion's village gates, let alone to the base of the mountains. Furthermore…

"What about Karamel-"

"He'll be staying here in Perion."

"But that's not fair for Karamel!" Replex protested, but was quickly silenced by his master's sharp, closed eye stare.

"Karamel has his own destiny to fulfilled. He has already accepted this."

Replex fell silent, gripping his new gear tightly. "I-If I go on my journey, will I be able to discover… Who I really am?"

Dances with Balrog gave a mysterious smile. "That is up to you to decide. It's your own future, your path, your destiny. Carve it out with your will and determination. You'll leave tomorrow morning, so rest up and have a long chat with Karamel."

Replex gave a brief sound of acceptance, walking down the steps from the highest point of the mountain, his footsteps and heart heavy. Dances with Balrog gave a stern look as Replex walked down, walking back into his building, the doors closing behind him, leaving just a small gap for light to pass through. Taking another glance at the paper he was reading earlier, he crushed it in his hand without a second look, tossing it into the flames of the torch.

"It's a bit cruel, their fate." He mutters, disappearing into the shadows of his room.

Meanwhile, Replex returned to the tent that he and Karamel had been living in for the past 8 years of their lives. Flipping the rough material of the tent to let himself enter, a nasty smell of herbs stung his nostrils, and so did the smell of metal. He looked at the far corner where the beds were located, and saw the small shadow of someone sitting on the bed, hunched. Replex smiled as he knew that person's outline, it was Karamel.

Replex placed his sword and shield near a small leather pouch which he used to carry potions when he went out to train. Looking at the shelves that were attached onto the wooden poles which held up the tent, he saw new potions. "Perhaps Karamel restocked." He muttered, walking to Karamel who seemed obsessed with his work. Shakily, he slapped Karamel on the back. "Hey brother, what are you doing there huh?"

Karamel fell forward from the force, his arms flailing in order to keep balance as he nearly toppled off the bed. Replex grabbed him round the waist, pulling him onto the bed. Karamel panted slightly, before ramming his fist into Replex's head playfully.

"You idiot! You scared me!" Karamel laughed, and so did Replex. The duo laughed for a moment. As they did, Replex recalled the fun memories he and Karamel had, and how close they always were. Despite Karamel being the weaker one when it comes to combat, Replex never left Karamel's side. Karamel could even use a bit of magic, much to Replex's surprise.

Replex calmed down first, looking at the bed sheets with furrowed as he tried to find a way to break his news to Karamel.

"Is it about your trip, Replex?" Karamel spoke, which broke his train of thoughts.

Replex's head jolted up from looking at the sheets. "What? How did you know?"

Karamel gave a gentle smile. "Master Dances with Balrog gave me a brief session, telling me about our past and all, and also the fact that you will be leaving Perion," Karamel pulled Replex into a brotherly hug and patted on his back a few times. "All I can say is to stay safe, and make sure you stay healthy and alive."

Replex struggled to hold back the tears that wanted to drop from his eyes. He wanted to ask more questions, for he had a feeling Karamel knew more than what he was telling Replex now. However, he decided against it. Facing away from Karamel, he removed his glasses, placing it at the side and laying down on his bed. Karamel got up, pulling down the tent covers, letting in just a bit of the setting sun. "It's a bit early for bed, but you should get enough sleep for tomorrow, Replex."

Replex nodded, drifting into slumber, a few tears rolling down his cheeks as he slept.

Karamel, however, was packing a few things into Replex's leather pouch, making it slightly bigger. He tore off the white leather gloves he wore for a long time, continuing to work at whatever he was working on just now. His eyes lacked emotion as he focused on his little project.

"This is my little gift to you Replex… I can only pray you use it well." Karamel's left hand started glowing softly, a rapier imprint on the back of his palm. He got up, finishing the item, before placing it aside. He then went to crawl into his own bed, gazing at Replex's long crimson hair. He knew that it would be one of the last few moments that he would be able to see that wonderful shade of red ever again. His eyelids grew heavier, and both of the teenagers slowly drifted off to sleep.

Author's note: Some of the content is out of Maple content, it's purely thought up for fun. Oh, and pronunciation, just for your information.

Replex: Rare-Plex  
>Karamel: Car-ra-mell (yes, like the candy)<br>Rubian: Ru-bi-en


	2. Farewell At Dawn

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are MINE. :

Author's Note: This takes place before big bang/pirates/re-arrangement of the island of Victoria. This story takes elements from the online game and the DS game(slightly). But I do not own them, only the plot and the original characters. May also contain alterations. Eg. Movement of monsters, some game plots, etc.

_Italics_= Thoughts

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2: Farewell at Dawn<span>

Replex woke up to the crows of the rooster, which signaled dawn. Fumbling around for his glasses, he noticed that the window cover was already up and that Karamel had already packed his bed and left the tent. Replex cast a sad glance at Karamel's bed where Karamel's scent still lingered, before looking back at his own.

"It'll be the last time in a long while that I will see this bed," he murmured, before grabbing his sword and shield. He slung his leather pouch over his shoulder with little effort, hanging his shield and sheathed sword on his back. Reluctantly, he dragged his feet over to the door, before heading to the East exit of Perion, towards the magical forest of Ellinia.

As he walked out of the town and approached the steps down the mountain, a yell from behind him caught his attention.

"Replex, wait up!"

Karamel came running out of the village, holding something in his hands, panting heavily. As he tried to catch his breath, he walked up to Replex, a sad smile on his face. When Replex saw Karamel's eyes, he saw sadness and reluctance in his purple orbs.

"Glad I caught you. You're not leaving without saying goodbye, are you?"

Replex laughed slightly and looked away, trying to avoid Karamel's eyes. "I figured it'll hurt less that way. Ow!" Replex cried out in defiance as Karamel pinched his cheek, eyes closed in fake annoyance.

"You big, happy-go-lucky idiot! This unrelated brother of yours still wants to see your face for one last time…" Karamel's words caught in his throat. He tilted his head up, glancing at Replex's fair face, his own purple hair falling carelessly in front of his own. Shaking his head to clear his sadness, he took a step back, giving Replex a look from head to toe.

"Look at you. It was just like yesterday that you were chasing me around in tag, and now you're all grown up, even taller than I am, about to go on your own journey. Time sure passes fast. I envy you, kiddo."

Replex's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"I will miss you…" mumbled Replex.

Karamel smiled warmly in response. "And so will I. Remember, enjoy and discover yourself. I believe you can follow and carve out your own destiny." Karamel fidgeted slightly, pushing a doll into Replex's hands. Replex looked at it. The doll looked like Karamel, bearing his features, smiling back at him. Karamel help up another doll that looked like Replex.

"So that you'll never get a chance to forget me," he teased, taking Replex's shield off his back.

"H-Hey!" Replex exclaimed. Karamel fiddled with it for a bit, before returning it to Replex. The shield had two metal attachments that looked like part of a boomerang.

"Toss this towards the bottom Replex."

Replex nodded threw it away from him, towards the ground below him without a second thought. To his utter amazement, his shield, instead of crashing into the rocks, spun around it and flew back at him. He caught the shield in the nick of time before it flew clear over his head. Karamel placed his hands on his hips, his face beaming with pride.

"I call it the Boomerang Support! I figured you'll throw your shield around a lot, so I thought it would be a lot easier if it returned to you, rather than having you run after it to pick it up manually."

Replex stared in amazement at it. With gentle ease, he took off the support clips, keeping it in his bag. After placing his shield back on the leather strap on his back, he embraced Karamel in a brotherly hug with the Karamel Doll still in hand.

"Thank you so much Karamel. You really look after me and my needs." Replex murmured into Karamel's ear, causing a smile to form on Karamel's face. Firmly, he pried Replex's strong grip off him and broke the crushing hug, before slapping Replex on the back.

"You're welcome. You better leave, or it will be harder for us to say goodbye. We'll always be Brothers of Perion," Karamel declared, and sent Replex a look that said: _You __better __be __safe __or __you'll __get __a __earful __from __me!_ Replex grinned and dashed off, leaping off the short cliff onto the trail below, which he originally intended to reach via the steps. He heard an upset yell above him.

"Don't do reckless stunts like that! There's a reason the steps are made you know! And there's one more thing - Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself!"

Replex gave a huge smirk and looked up at an angry Karamel. He made a 'V' sign with his fingers, white teeth flashing as he grinned widely.

"Brothers of Perion forever!" He yelled, before running on the rocky road.

Though it was unnoticeable to Karamel, tears fell on the path. It was unmanly to cry, Replex knew. But this time tears of farewell left Replex's ruby eyes unwillingly, clouding his vision as he continued to run further and further away from his hometown, his hand clutching the doll tightly. To him, leaving Karamel, felt like a permanent separation from him.

"I didn't want to say goodbye…" muttered Replex as he continued to run further, until he was just a little dot in the distance from Karamel's perspective.

Karamel smiled forlonly, sitting down on the edge, squinting his eyes as they try to follow a running dot.

"He left huh...? I think you did pretty well." A low voice resounded in his ear, and Karamel swung his elbow back on instinct. He did not sense a presence behind him when he was observing Replex, and tuned his senses to identity whoever it was behind him. His elbow came in contact with a rough, tanned hand, as a familiar man bearing an Indian Chief hat came into his line of vision.

"Master Dances with Balrog!" Karamel exclaimed, surprised that his master had snuck up on him. Dances with Balrog smiled, releasing Karamel's arm quickly and sitting next to him.

"You contained your own feelings in order to convince him not to worry," Dances with Balrog paused and turned his head slightly to inspect his student. Karamel's face was stoic and showed not much emotion, but his eyes hid sadness. "I give you credit for that. However, if you want, you can borrow my shoulder- " Dances with Balrog stopped as he felt Karamel's prickly hair poking his sleeve. He turned his head slightly, looking at the hunched teen gripping the Replex Doll tightly in his hands, lean on him. Dances with Balrog noticed damp marks appearing on Karamel's black pants, as tears fell from his eyes.

Karamel quivered slightly as tears continued to fall He wanted to scream out his agony, but decided against it, muttering an unheard prayer and apology for Replex.

"I'm so sorry, please be safe. I'm so sorry…"

Dances with Balrog looked at the giant forest in the distance, his hand on Karamel's shoulder in a comforting manner. Despite Karamel's incomprehensible muttering between his choked sobs, Dances with Balrog knew Karamel was releasing the feelings he had withheld from Replex.

Lightly, he pat Karamel on his back, concern written over his face. He knew how close Replex and Karamel were together, and he hate to see them separated. But he knew that it was necessary, in order for them to meet their own destinies outside of Perion.

Trying his utmost to comfort to comfort Karamel, he helped Karamel up and asked him to take a long nap to forget about the sadness. Karamel rejected his offer, stating he would prefer to read a book to get over it.

"See me later, Karamel. There is something I must tell you." He said, walking towards Perion. "You really are too cruel sometimes…" Dances with the Balrog muttered to himself, an intense glare coming from his eyes, which opened just a crack.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Replex wiped his tears off as he walked towards the forest.<p>

"I can't continue crying... I've got to keep my promise to Karamel," he murmured, continuing to walk on the dirt trail, cutting apart a few Stumps. _'__Never __really __fought __anything __else __other __than __snails __and __training __dummies.__'_ Replex thought to himself, swinging his sword around him, stumbling a little from its weight. _'__Damn, __this __sword __is __a __bit __heavy.__'_ He thought, laughing to himself softly.

The Stump monsters look like a stump, except with a single eye that protruded in the middle. They made a loud groaning noise as they were cleaved apart by Replex. Replex panted slightly from wielding the sword and wiped his sweat off with the back of his gloved, his black sleeves on his orange shirt too short to serve the same purpose.

Replex panted slightly, as his body started to adjust ever so slightly to his new experiences. As he continue to proceed down the mountain, he started seeing more and more abandoned tents and remains of humans and monsters alike. His eyebrows furrowed in sadness.

"To think that in the past, damages were this grave…" He said, slicing another Stump. The Stump twitched a little before falling to its side and breaking into pieces of wood. He picked up a tree branch that fell off the Stump and examined it. His eyes twinkled when he realized he could put it to use. "This would be good fire starting material I guess," he said, continuing his journey down, chopping up more Stumps to get tree branches.

After a long trek down the mountain which took no more than a few hours, Replex had a good amount of tree branches and leaves in his pouch as potential fire starting materials. The items had been shrunk to be contained in the magical pouch.

Replex finally found what he was looking for as the ground become level and traces of greener vegetation could be seen. The low fence that created Perion's borders.

Beyond the borders stood a towering forest. Replex referred to a signboard on the road. "Ellinia, the forest of Magicians," he read out, glancing at the forest that stood before him. He then decided to take another look at the signboard. Magicians? He certainly read it right.

To him, the tree was at least several hundred, if not thousand feet tall. On top of that, Ellinia was on one of the high points of Victoria Island, with trees that seemingly can touch the sky. The densely packed forest gave a dark and gloomy feel.

Replex slid his sword back into its sheath, strolling merrily into the forest. A breath-taking view greeted him as, in one glance, he could see lush greenery, wild flowers blooming on the giant tree trunks and on the sides of the path. Vines hung from the trees and its branches, the buzzing of insects and the call of small animals were like music to his ears. The environment gave off a magical feeling. Replex felt himself overwhelmed by the amount of life and magic in the forest. Looking down, Replex realized he was pretty high up, and that the branches of the trees have interlocked themselves to form pathways. Tilting his line of vision up, he saw more paths leading further up the forest. In contrast to the dark look it gave on the outside, rays of light infiltrated through the gaps between the leaves and branches, lighting up the area pretty well.

"It's… beautiful. This is Mother Nature's power?" He gasped, at a loss for words to describe what he saw. Having grown up in a mountain where hardly any vegetation survived, stepping into a forest was a new experience. Gently, he bent the stem of a nearby white flower, taking in its scent. Letting go of it slowly, Replex continued walking, enjoying the slightly breeze that whistled past his ears.

Humming a soft tune as he strutted along the grassy path, he took in the view of the forest, carefully walking across wooden bridges that linked two branches together. He breathed in the air gently, the fresh air that smelt so strong of nature.

Shortly after climbing down a rope ladder onto a long branch, Replex heard the rustling of grass above him. Upon looking up, he saw a human-like shape screaming and falling on top of him, crushing him from the impact. He winced slightly on the impact, and could feel the person's thighs on his chest, trembling slightly.

With a groan, he opened his eyes slowly to take a second look at the person who fell. The person, a young teenage girl, upon noticing that she fell on him, hurriedly got up, only adjusting minor details of her clothing. She scooted back and pointed a wooden wand at him, a small blue orb forming at its end.

Replex, sensing hostility, flipped back onto his feet and whipped out his sword and shield, focusing his energy into his sword, feeling it crackle with energy. His stance was low enough for his eyes to be level with the stranger, and he glared at her.

"Who are you?" Both teenagers asked, eyeing each other warily.

* * *

><p>Author's note: If you can't guess what skill both teenagers are using, I'll tell in the next chapter. On a side note, I want to thank Kufudame for being my unofficial 'beta-reader'. She helps me edit some stuff here and there, so I gotta give her the proper credit. Read and Review~ :)<p> 


	3. The City of Trees, Ellinia

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are MINE. :

_Italics_= Thoughts

Chapter 3: The City of Trees, Ellinia

Not a word passed either of their lips as Replex and the girl stared at each other, neither relaxing their stances or weapons. Observing her carefully, Replex deduced that she could not be any older than him. Her brown hair tied up in a ponytail, her short- sleeved green shirt loosely tucked out over her tight dark blue jeans. Green round frame glasses rest on her face gently, and he emerald eyes held caution. She was short, about a head shorter than him.

"My name is Replex Cosmos, a warrior from Perion," Replex stated, his muscles still tensed, energy still crackling from his sword. The girl heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed, the blue orb disappearing from the tip of her wooden wand. Replex was puzzled by her actions.

"Why do you relax so fast without deciding if I am your friend or foe?"

The girl briefly ignored his question and brushed off some stray leaves that got onto her clothing when she fell, taking a small basket, and putting some plants that fell out during the fall back into it. She then turned to face Replex. "My master told me a teenager of red hair and eyes from Perion will be arriving soon. His name is Replex Cosmos. Since you fit the description perfectly, you must be the one he was referring to. Thus, you can't be an enemy" A cheerful, naive smile shone on her face, as she picked up her basket.

Replex's raised an eyebrow at her sentence. He thought about the skill he nearly wanted to use earlier, Power Strike, a blow of strong energy concentrated in his sword. He relaxed slightly, letting the energy of the sword disappear, before slipping his sword behind him into his sheath. He turned swiftly, and saw the girl near a rope ladder leading downwards. She beckoned him to follow her, before climbing down with her basket in one hand.

Replex saw that she was struggling with the basket and lifted it out of her hand with ease. "You may fall if you try to carry that basket while climbing." The girl blushed and nodded in reponse, climbing down so that Replex could proceed down as well.

Out of the corner of his eye, Replex saw a green blob of liquid bouncing, and looked at it curiously. To his shock, it jumped up in an attempt to knock both teenagers off the rope ladder. In retaliation, he kicked it off a distance away. He raised an eyebrow when the blob squeaked, fell to the ground unharmed and bounced away.

"What was that?" He asked as he climbed down the ladder slowly and carefully.

The teenager giggled slightly as she leaped onto the ground safely from the ladder. "Oh, that's a Slime. It is a native monster here. Isn't it cute? They're so squishy and that small little green bubble on their heads is either used as an enhancement for our potions or as a little accessory."

Replex scrunched up his face, trying to imagine magicians with green bubble necklaces, but gave up anyway. How could they be an accessory? He tilted his head down slightly to hide his laughter.

Slowly he climbed down with the basket in his arm, landing softly on the grass. The mage continued to lead him past a gate and his eyes widened at the sight before him the moment he took a step past the gate.

* * *

><p>Beyond the gates, a bustling city laid hidden deep within the forest. A rock powered many of the houses that floated amongst the branches of the forests. Fairies with small wings flew about or walked on the branches, chattering in their high voices.<p>

Replex turned his head to the right, and saw a couple of young children with small wands in their hands. He gave a small chuckle when small bursts of magic came out of the wands, making the young children squeal with delight.

The most outstanding building stood at the peak of the city, where sunlight poured in from the open canopy. A platform nearby also caught his eye. "Six..topia?" He mumbled, before turning his attention back to the building, which the magician was leading him to.

The building was huge, and emitted strong magic. Even thought Replex was a warrior, he could still feel strong magic coursing out of the building through the forest. On the top of the building, a flag bearing a magic symbol and a staff and wand criss-crossing each other flew high in the air.

"That's the Magic Library, where my teacher, Master Grendel the Really Old, resides. He's the leader of both this town and the magicians," the magician explained, pushing open the wooden oak doors.

The building consisted of only a single room, which had multiple floors. Floating in the middle was a giant white crystal. Replex guessed that the crystal was keeping the entire building afloat. A few dark green stems had wrapped around the crystal, light shinig in on it from the stained glass windows. Books lay about everywhere messily and when Replex looked up, books filled the shelves as far as the eye could see.

"It would seem we have a guest."

Replex leaped back as he looked around for the voice. Feeling a presence above him, he turned his head up and took a step back, startled. A white-bearded man, draped with a long white coat that had a cloth belt in the middle, floated down. He held an oaken staff in one hand and a crystal ball in the other, a wide-rim hat covering the top part of his face. A yellow star was on the end of his hat. Replex noticed that while he was taller than the mage, the old man was slightly shorter than he was. Still, it did not stop him from being overwhelmed by the presence of the old man who seemingly floated down.

"Fear not, child. I will not harm you." The old man said, before turning to the magician beside Replex. "You have finished your task, is that correct Weniry?"

Weniry nodded, taking the basket from Replex's arm and showing its contents to him. He gave a nod of approval. "Alright, make the potion then." She nodded, quickly running off to a cauldron that sat in the corner of the room. The old man then turned back to Replex.

"My name is Grendel the Really Old, Instructor and Leader of the Magicians. Your name is Replex Cosmos, am I right?" Replex nodded. "_I wonder how 'Grendel the Really Long Name' knew my name."_ He pondered for a while, before slapping himself mentally for being so rude as to think of such a nickname.

"Dances with Balrog told me about you," Grendel said, as if reading Replex's mind. He smiled kindly at him, his electric blue eyes shadowed by his hat. Replex started to wonder if all Victorian Leaders had mind reading powers. He felt the aged Magician Leader's gaze pierce through his body, reading every bit of him.

"I see you've met Weniry Emerald Solce, one of my student,." Grendel gestured to the working mage behind him with his staff, the same girl whom Replex had met earlier. Replex, however, was focused on the black smoke that was rising out of Weniry's cauldron, and broke into a fit of giggles. Grendel frowned when he saw that. Apparently, something was going on behind him that was making Replex laugh. He turned and walked briskly over to the cauldron, peering into it.

Suddenly, he whacked Weniry on the head with his staff, making her bend over slightly, clutching the sore spot in pain. "The fire is supposed to be low, not high. You'll ruin the mixture of the potion this way," he said sternly. Weniry nodded, rubbing the bruise on her head, taking note of her mistake. Grendel gave a large sigh, shaking his head.

"It's the second time already. You'll have to recollect the herbs." Weniry gave a loud groan, but prepared to go about accomplishing her task. Grendel turned to Replex.

"Replex, would you kindly accompany Weniry? There have been sightings of King Slime around the forest lately. I wish for her to be safe." Replex agreed to it without hesitation, smiling. Grendel turned back to Weniry. "Make sure you guide Replex properly. We don't need him getting lost in the forest." Weniry nodded, getting her wand and basket, and heading out with Replex.

* * *

><p>Replex followed Weniry into the forest again, watching her as she absent-mindedly twirled her wooden wand. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he blurted out, "Who is King Slime?"<p>

Weniry turned her head slightly, climbing up a rope ladder. "It's a really gigantic slime that occasionally pops up in the forest from time to time. We magicians fear it and its Earthquake attack. We don't have as much defense as a warrior does after all."

She paused after climbing to the top, waiting for Replex to climb up as well. "Only elite mages such as Master Grendel the Really Old can beat it by themselves without the help of other jobs such as the Archers or Thieves."

"Hence why master Grendel asked me to accompany you. It was for your safety." Replex finished, receiving a smile from Weniry. Weniry's face lit up when she saw a bunch of Slimes nearby. She drew her wand, and launched a blue sphere of energy at it. It was not enough to kill it though and it started bouncing in a group towards them. Replex drew his sword, swinging at the group of Slimes with precision and ease, watching as they break into bits of green slime with a large squeal.

Weniry knelt down, picking up some of its green gooey remains happily.

"Squishy Liquid. You may not believe it, but it's actually used for some of our potions."

Weniry gave a soft smile, popping the liquid into her basket. Replex however, gave a look of slight disgust, thinking how absurd it would have been to put that "icky-green thing" as he called it, in one's potion. He shivered slightly, placing his sword behind him again.

"Let's move on Weniry, before it gets dark."

Weniry nodded, and hastened her pace. She led Replex up a myriad of interlocking branches. Replex started feeling giddy, confused by the walkways, which all had the same appearance to him.

"How you Magicians know your way around here is beyond me..." He muttered, slightly confused.

Weniry gave a soft laugh. "We've lived in this forest for almost all our lives, protected by Master Grendel the Really Old's strong magic. We venture out here now and then to look for herbs, so we are pretty much used to it now. Thanks to his magic Return Scrolls, we are able to return with ease after collecting the required herbs, even if we do get lost on the way back."

Weniry pulled out a scroll, which looked worn out and frayed slightly at the edges. Its dark green surface was fading.

"This is Ellinia's Return Scroll. Master Grendel helped to enchant scrolls for other towns as well."

Replex stared at the scroll for a while. How does it even work, it looked like just a normal scroll to him. After he stood for a moment dazed, he quickly ran up to Weniry for she had started walking again. Bit by bit, they climbed higher and higher up the forest until they reached a clear patch of grass and flowers.

* * *

><p>The patch was like a garden, full of blooming and fragrant flowers. Different types of herbs grew in the patch.<p>

"This is... wow," was all Replex could utter from his lips. He took a glance at the flowers around him, but they all looked the same to him. He took a glance at Weniry and saw that she was already picking the flowers and herbs with delight.

"How do you know which ones to collect?" He asked as Weniry dropped a bunch of dark green spiky leaves into her basket, which was on the ground beside her.

"Well, you'll get used to collecting herbs after doing so for like, eight years. That and I've memorized a small notebook of all herbs and flowers that grow around here." Weniry pulled out a notebook and handed it to Replex, before continuing to collect some flowers.

Replex flipped through the book, looking at the plants inside. in one short glance he saw blue leaves, purple flowers and even black petals. "Do all these herbs and flowers really grow around here?" He asked, slightly flabbergasted.

Weniry placed a small pink flower with a yellow middle into the basket, taking it into her hands and approaching Replex, taking her book back. "Well... Most of it. The back few pages are plants that exist outside of Ellinia and Victoria Island that I found interesting and useful. I got them all from the books in the Magic Library." She turned to a page where a purple flower with green spiky leaves was drawn on it. Replex saw that it was very detailed, from the lines in the leaves to its magical properties.

"This is a Witchgrass plant. It exists only in Kerning City Swamps. It's pretty useful for curing some wounds, but it is also difficult to extract as it must be extracted on the right side," Weniry stated.

Replex took a glance at it, before shaking his head. "Gosh, my head hurts from all this plants." Weniry giggled. She found this particular Warrior so amusing.

"Well, I'm done, so we can return back. I hope I don't fail this time." She spoke grimly, gazing down at her feet.

Replex looked at her. "Why do you think you fail'll this time?"

Weniry blushed, turning her gaze downwards. "I... don't really know. I do this by instinct. I thought the fire wasn't strong enough so I switched it to high instead of low like the instructions said. You see, I wasn't born here. I didn't learn everything from the start. Master Grendel the Really Old told me he found me outside of Ellinia, near the gates. Apparently, he heard me screaming, so he deduced that I fell off. I suppose the fall made me lose my memories," she paused, tears forming in her eyes.

"He brought me up himself. He told me that I had a natural talent for magic and didn't need to learn the basics of anything. That's why I knew nothing on how fire would affect the boiling, nature and effects of potions, which is a basic concept. All this time I've been doing things either by the book or by what I feel. However, I always believed that basics are important-"

"And that's a fact. You should believe in yourself more."

"Huh?"

Weniry turned to look at Replex, who had a semi-serious look in his eyes. He held Weniry's shoulder gently.

"Basics are always important, that's right! If no one will teach you, then learn it yourself!" He said. "I had to teach myself the basics of the sword cause my master wouldn't teach me either. Look at me now. I'm a successful warrior, because I have never gave up what I loved to be. Even though I'm not even a magician, and I don't do these crazy mixing-herbs-in-a-pot-"

"Cauldron," Weniry corrected.

"Alright, crazy mixing-herbs-in-a-cauldron thing. But I can assure you, you will be a successful magician if you try your best. No matter the difficulties. But regarding the 'adjusting-fire-on-instinct' thing... I wouldn't say it's wrong to follow your instincts, but try not to over-do it too much. I mean, if the instructions say you should use two eggs in a recipe but you feel like you should use more, you don't go adding 10 eggs do you? All things in moderation, Karamel would say."

"So… Yeah. Follow what the books say, change if you feel there is a need to change, but don't overdo it." Replex laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He withdrew his hand from Weniry's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go back. You can try to do it according to the book and see how it goes." Replex grinned widely, exposing his white teeth. Weniry blushed slightly, thinking about his words.

Weniry smiled, going down before Replex, thinking about his words. "Follow what the books say, change if you feel there is a need to change, but don't overdo it " She mutters, before continuing to walk. Replex quickly jumped off the rope, as Weniry was walking fast all of a sudden. Unfortunately for him, he jumped off from too high a distance, and forgot to position his landing. He slipped on one foot and landed on his side, injuring his right arm as a branch on the ground cut it when his body landed with a loud 'Thud!'

"Ack! Ouch!" He cried out slightly, holding his arm. Weniry turned her head, and ran back to him. "A-Are you alright!" She exclaimed, flustered.

Replex forced a smile. "It's just a cut on my arm. Nothing much." He winced as pain shot through his arm, blood oozing out from the open wound. Weniry frowned slightly, and pointed her wand at the wound.

"Hold still for a bit." She began muttering some words under her breath; her eyes squeezed shut in concentration. As she muttered her spell under her breath, she moved the wand stick in circles around the wound region. Replex, though afraid, keep still. Slowly, he felt the pain in his arm go away, and when he looked back at his wound, the cut was gone.

"Woah, what happened?" He asked, surprised.

"I just healed you. It's a basic skill for Clerics, but Master Grendel the Really Old said I got injured so much while gathering herbs, he'd teach me the skill early." Weniry laughed in embarrassment. Replex gave a slight smirk. He got up again and dusted himself.

"Thanks for the healing. Let's get going, or we'll be stuck here till midnight!" He added in jokingly. Weniry laughed as well, a light blush running onto her cheeks again, leading him back. Replex however, decided to be playful, and ran ahead of her.

"Hey wait up Replex!" Weniry called out, laughing. Replex laughed back, before bumping into something and falling onto his rear.

"Damn, who put this wall here? It's soft too... And green..." He grumbled, placing his hand on whatever he bumped into, pressing against it. It was soft and smooth under his hand. Replex gave an irked face. For some reason, he felt that he had seen and felt this texture before...

Weniry nearly crashed into him, but stopped in time. She too, stared at the 'wall', puzzled. "Strange, there isn't supposed to be anything here." She said, poking it with her wand. She took a step back as the 'wall' started moving in reaction to her poking.

Replex's eyes widen, and he scurried back, getting up. Both teenagers looked up and saw a mouth and two yellow sparkly eyes that just seem to say "Hi!"

Replex jaw dropped at the monster that appeared to be three times his height.

"Holy Perion, that's huge..."

Weniry however, was backing off, her face paling different shades of white. "

"K-K-K-King Slime!" She screamed, eyes filled with fear at the oversized Slime in front of her.

* * *

><p>Author's notes: Weniry is pronounced as 'When-ner-ry'. Thanks for the kindencouraging reviews, soulsymphonie and WildOrion!


	4. New Partner

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Mini response to review:

Mr. Stiffly: Hehe, sorry for the grammatical errors. I'll check better in the next chapters. As for the names issue, I would usually not abbreviate it for the speech part, because the students (Eg. Weniry) are pretty much very respectful and say out their teacher's full names. That's why I didn't abbreviate it. If it is for non-speech parts then I would abbreviate it. :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4: A New Partner<span>

Weniry fell down while backing off from the King Slime, her legs weak with fear. Replex grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up.

"Come on! Run for it!"

Weniry grabbed her basket and ran off with Replex, wanting to get away from the King Slime. They did not get very far before they saw a huge shadow looming on the ground below them. Replex looked up and quickly pushed Weniry aside.

"Watch out!" was all Weniry heard before a cry of pain reached her ears. When she snapped out of her fear, she saw Replex being squashed by the King Slime. Replex struggled to get out, but found his attempts futile. He tried to reach for his sword but failed, the King Slime's body blocking his hand from reaching his back.

"Weniry run!" He yelled. Weniry turned, but hesitated. _"What's this feeling in me? I want to run, but yet..."_ She turned back to the King Slime, who took another jump in the air. Replex saw his chance and got away from underneath the King Slime, only to be hit by a flying piece of wood when it came down and slammed into the ground beneath it, sending wood splinters flying everywhere. Replex winced as it flew pass his face, cutting it.

Weniry ran to him and examined his wound, healing it in the same motion she did earlier. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Back's aching, but I'll be alright. It didn't break my spine, must be because it's so squishy..."

The King Slime started bouncing towards them, bent on crushing the duo. Replex pulled out his sword and shield, nudging Weniry to move back.

"Can you support me with some spells?" He asked, glancing back at her.

"I-I can try," Weniry replied, her voice shaky with fear. She ran back a small distance, away from the range of the King Slime's strong jumping. Her fingers curled around her wooden wand nervously, as she tried to recall her spells.

Replex kept his focused, his eyes narrowing as King Slime approached him slowly. His sword began shaking with energy, and he kept his shield in front of him to block off anymore flying pieces of wood.

Suddenly he leapt, and brought his sword down on it.

"Power Strike!"

A loud squelch was heard when the sword made contact, as the energy made part of the King Slime explode into green puddles of liquid. Replex grinned, but that grin vanished as soon as it came as he saw King Slime reforming the part that exploded.

"This is bad," he muttered. His eyes widened when the bubble on King Slime's head started shining, and Slimes dropped from above him, surrounding him and starting to jump on him.

"This is REALLY bad!" He yelled, turning in a circle and slashing most of the Slimes off him. As he turned, he saw several blue spheres of energy fly past him into the small Slimes, before hitting the leader. It was the same blue sphere that Weniry pointed at him when they first met, and when she tried attacking a bunch of Slimes earlier on. Replex turned and saw Weniry smiling a little.

"Basic magician spell, Energy Bolt." She said. There was a look of confidence in her eyes, something Replex did not notice before.

Replex gave an encouraging smile, turning back to the King Slime with the same determination in his eyes. King Slime was not happy that its comrades got slaughtered so easily, and leapt high into the air again. Replex quickly lifted his shield up, which did protect him from the flying splinters, but it left him sprawling on the ground when King Slime crashed into the ground and the shock wave from the impact knocked him off his feet.

"Ugh..." He groaned, slightly dazed. He tried to focus on the battle in front of him, but his head just would not stop spinning uncontrollably.

Weniry panicked as King Slime began approaching a dazed Replex. She went through in her head the limited number of spells she knew.

"_Energy Bolt won't do much... Heal can't really cure Replex's headache... What about Fire Arrow? I think Slimes are weak against fire... But I learnt that spell secretly without Master Grendel teaching me... What if I fail to cast it properly, it requires the basic skill of fire handling..."_

Weniry felt hopeless, thinking of some way to help Replex. Replex's words came back to her instead. _"If no one will teach you the basics, learn it yourself!"_ Weniry's hands balled into fists. She was scared, terribly scared that if she failed the spell, Replex might get seriously hurt, or even die. She looked back at the scene before her. The King Slime was getting ready to jump on Replex, intent on crushing him this time.

_"It's do or nothing now! You have to try!"_ A voice screamed in her head. Weniry closed her eyes, and imagined a bow of fire in front of her, along with a flaming arrow. She felt a rush of magic coursing through her veins as it erupted in her hands as fire. Carefully, she used her right hand to draw the fire up in the shape of a bow, before using her left hand to grip it. Delighted that she succeeded, she gave a loud squeal of surprise. The King Slime heard her and turned its attention to her, bouncing past Replex and going towards her.

Weniry hastily used her right hand and her wand to draw the flaming bowstring, and a flaming arrow appeared in its place. She backed off slightly, trying not to lose her balance while aiming for the monster in front of her.

"Fire Arrow!" She screamed, before letting go. The fire arrow blazed through the air, and struck King Slime right between the eyes, exploding into flames and burning it. King Slime gave a deafening squeal, jumping around recklessly in pain from the fire. Weniry took this chance to run to Replex as King Slime was bouncing aimlessly and madly into the tall tree trunks.

"Are you alright, Replex?" She asked, shaking Replex gently. Replex shook himself out of his stupor. "Did you get the license plate of that Wild Boar that hit me?" He asked, trying an attempt at humor.

"No. Come on, let's move before that King Slime tries coming after us again," she said, ignoring Replex's joke. She helped Replex up with some difficulty, considering the fact he was taller and more muscular than her.

"Is it possible to jump off the ledge?" Replex asked, panting a bit.

"It is, but the both of us would be quite injured. If we ran back to the village, we would cause mayhem."

"The Return Scroll," Replex suddenly blurted out. Weniry stared at him, a puzzled look on her face.

"Use it Weniry, get back first." Replex said. Weniry shook her head.

"I... I can't just leave you here. I'll help you."

Replex blinked, surprised by her response. Surprise turned to determination, as he broke into a wide smile. "Let's do this then!" He yelled, gripping his sword tightly.

Weniry smiled. She thought to herself about King Slime's weakness. It was definitely fire, considering its reaction to her Fire Arrow. She looked at Replex's sword. Is it possible for her to coat it with flames so that Replex could deal great damage? With his strength and fire, it would be possible for them to chase off King Slime.

Weniry closed her eyes and concentrated, moving her wand and hand in sync as she tried to picture the fire weaving around Replex's sword. A shocked yell from Replex caught her attention and notified her that it was successful.

"When did my sword catch fire?" He yelled, panicking.

"It's okay, it's my magic! Try hitting King Slime with that!"

Replex gave a dumbfounded look. He pointed at his flaming sword with his finger, before pointing at the bouncing King Slime, which had snapped out of its pain. Weniry grinned a little and made a slashing motion with her index finger. Replex hesitated, before turning to face the King Slime again.

King Slime was approaching, its smile turned into a frown. Replex clutched the hilt of his sword tightly, watching the monster closely. Weniry kept the fire flowing through the sword continuously, feeling a little faint.

"R-Replex hurry, I can't keep up this magic forever..." She whispered, starting to stagger. Replex turned his head and looked at Weniry. He frowned and knew he had to act quickly before Weniry passed out.

"It's now or never! Let's do this!" Replex leapt onto a nearby tree branch, using it to propel himself into the air above King Slime. He threw his shield aside and gripped his sword tightly with both hands. Letting loose a loud battle cry, he swung his sword down onto King Slime. The flaming sword cut a large gash in King Slime and set it on flames again. King Slime gave a loud squeal and began its mad jumping again. It knocked Replex out of the air and sent him skidding onto the ground, just in front of Weniry.

"Damn, was that not enough?" He cursed, getting up, rubbing a small bruise on his arm. To both of the teenagers' surprise, King Slime turned and bounced off quickly, still on fire and squealing.

"I-I think we scared it away instead..." Replex said, getting up to retrieve his shield. He heard a soft "thud" on the grass behind him and turned around quickly.

"Weniry!" He called out, and ran over to the magician who was now sprawled on the ground unconscious, her right hand still holding onto her wand tightly. Replex looks around him. There was no one nearby and he no idea of how to get back. Feeling exasperated, he pounded the ground with his fists.

"Damn!" He yelled, echoes being his only reply. He looked at Weniry, and lifted her body up with ease, and placed her basket into her arms gently.

"I should at least move to lower ground... Before that King Slime returns..." He mumbled as he climbed down one of the rope ladders, taking care not to drop Weniry. He spotted a hole in a tree trunk that was close to him. _"Perhaps I could hide in there for awhile."_

* * *

><p>Replex brought Weniry into the small cavern-like hole, before climbing in himself. He then thought about how to get Weniry back. "I could try going back but I can't just leave Weniry out here alone. If only we could return together... Return? That's it! Weniry's Return Scroll!" Replex rummaged through Weniry's small basket, pulling out the worn green scroll. He looked at it, and saw words scribbled at the back.<p>

"Are these instructions? Hmm... 'First hold the scroll in your hands recite the incantation written here, "Wings of Flight, take me back to -town name-" '... I think that would be easy..." Replex looked out of the cavern, before putting the scroll in Weniry's free hand.

"Let's see if this really works. Erm... Wings of Flight, take me back to Ellinia!" Replex took a step back as the scroll lit up in Weniry's hand. Small streams of light wrapped around Weniry and her belongings, before instantly teleporting her away. Replex grinned, before panic took over.

"Oh crap, _now_ how do I get back?" Replex looked around outside the cavern. It was already quite dark out and would be hazardous for him to travel. "I guess I would have to spend the night here... I sure hope someone would find me." Replex set his pouch down, along with his sword and shield. He looked at the branches and leaves that were in his bag and an idea struck him.

"I should make a fire at least. Maybe if they see the smoke they would think something has happened. Well, provided the fire doesn't burn down this small place." Replex took out his materials and began starting a small fire. After several failed tries, he managed to start a small fire. Gleefully, he warmed his hands as the night grew colder. He searched through his bag and saw a few biscuits and potions.

"Oh Karamel thank you!" He munched hungrily on the biscuits to curb the hunger in his stomach. Boy was he ever glad that Karamel had packed his bag without telling him. He took another peak outside the cavern. The forest was pitch black now, a few fireflies flying around here and there, but it barely provided any light.

"No point staying up. I might as well go to sleep now," Replex said, before pulling off his glasses and putting it aside. He curled up and lay down on his side, using his hands as his pillow. He stared at the small fire in front of him, before slowly dozing off to dreamland.

* * *

><p>The soft chirping of birds woke Replex up the next day. He fumbled around for his glasses before putting them on. The fire had gone out, and the sun was shining again in the forest. He grabbed his pouch, sword and shield before heading out of the cavern.<p>

"Alright, maybe I should take a walk down. Maybe I'll find my way back." He looked around before climbing down the nearest rope ladder he saw. A high-pitched squeal from his right caught his attention, and the last thing he saw was a wall of translucent green before leaping off the ladder instinctively.

"What the-" Replex started, before being interrupted by a crash in front of him. He looked up to see the King Slime from before.

"Erm... Hi?" He forced out of his mouth, before taking off away from the monster. _'Damn, why is this guy here!'_ Replex cursed mentally, jumping off a ledge and landing safely on the branch below. It wasn't long before another shockwave came from behind him and knocked him onto his stomach. He turned onto his back to get up, only to see the King Slime advancing on him.

"Er... Crap. Sorry?" Replex mumble out sheepishly, his hand reaching for his hilt.

"Fire Demon!"

A burst of fire struck King Slime from behind, sending it off squealing again as it sustains some burns. Replex blinked in confusion, before seeing a familiar face running to him.

"Replex! Are you alright!" It turned out to be Weniry, who started bombarding Replex with multiple questions about his well-being. Replex blinked again, laughing. "I'm fine Weniry, just a few scratches and a bit of hunger. How did you find me though? And who casted that fireball-looking thing just now?" Weniry's cheek turned red for a bit, before moving aside to let someone else inspect Replex. Replex's eyes widened slightly.

"Master Grendel!" He exclaimed, surprised by his presence. Grendel smiled as he waved his staff to heal the rest of Replex's wounds. "It was commendable of you to send Weniry back to Ellinia first. She was unconscious, but recovered quickly enough to relate what happen. It was a bit difficult, but I managed to trace your location using magic. And - that fire spell I used is one of the advanced magic spells for a Fire and Poison Wizard, one of the three paths Magicians can take." Grendel got up and gently pulled Replex to his feet. Replex groaned a bit as his muscles ached. Grendel gave a hearty chuckle as he pulled out a small crystal that had bright colours and sparkled softly.

"Isn't that a Magic Rock?" Weniry queried, and Grendel nodded, waving his staff as a door appeared from nowhere, just when the rock vanished. "Magic truly is amazing..." Replex said as his jaw dropped. "Mystic Door," Grendel explained as he walked through it. "Is skill that a Priest uses to create a door back to the nearest city. Come on, let us now return." He beckoned Replex and Weniry to follow him through the door. The next instant, Replex and Weniry found themselves in the city of Ellinia once again, right in front of Grendel's house. Replex turned to look at Weniry.

"Have you succeeded in your potion making?" He asked. Weniry glanced down at her black shoes which suddenly seemed to have caught her interest. "I'll take that as a no." Replex sighed, patting Weniry on the back. "You'll do fine, relax. Remember what I said before?" Replex gave a wink, and gently shoved Weniry into the house, following behind her.

Weniry gave a small squeal of surprise. Her basket was lying on the floor next to the cauldron she used previously. She turned back to Replex, who gave her a thumbs-up, a stupid grin on his face. Grendel, who had entered the house before them and seemingly disappeared, came out of nowhere and handed Replex a bottle of white liquid. "Drink this, it will help. It's a White Potion, not poison." Grendel said with a small chuckle, as the young warrior had gave a look of slight disgust at the colour of the potion. Replex uncorked the bottle and drank it down in one gulp, feeling rejuvenated.

"Thank you very much, Master Grendel." He said, bowing respectfully. Grendel smiled before he turned to Weniry. "Try making the potion again, Weniry." Replex cheered before Grendel could say another word. Grendel kept silent, observing Weniry for a few seconds before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Weniry stared at the cauldron before her, she had placed in the herbs she gathered prior to meeting King Slime, as well as the amount of water needed. She looked at the wood below the cauldron, beckoning her to light it up. Her green eyes flash with anxiety and worry. Her hand trembled with fear as she pointed her wand at the fire, hesitant to light it up. She took a peek at the notes she had written and recalled Replex's words earlier. Slowly, she lit the fire and adjusted it. "Medium flame... It shouldn't be too bad now." She comforted herself, stirring the mixture, her heart thumping in her chest as it starting bubbling and turning a bright blue.<p>

"Mm. This is better. That's the way you should do things." Weniry jumped at the voice behind her, and turned to see Grendel holding another staff with a smile on his face. "You pass." A refreshed smiled appeared on Weniry's face. Replex smiled as well, resting his hands behind his head in a carefree manner.

"I guess I should tell you something. You should be able to see it reacting from below your gloves now, both of you." Grendel gestured to Replex and Weniry, who both glanced at each other.

Replex looked at his right hand, and saw a bright red light shimmering from underneath the black cloth of his gloves. He pulled it off, and saw his Rubian Mark shining. Weniry looked at her right glove and pulled it off as well, and saw a small line formed at shape of a small staff, coloured in the same shade of red as Replex's Rubian mark. Slowly, the light from both marks disappeared. Weniry's mouth opened and closed a few times, blushing a deep red, looking at Grendel and pointing at Replex then her, shock written on her face.

"It just means your destinies are intertwined with each other. You bear a similar mark to Replex. Like I have told you when you were younger, you were found as an orphan near the city outskirts. A few days later, some mysterious stranger passed this staff to me. It wouldn't allow anyone else to wield it. I... actually let you played with it as a child, and it reacted to you, so it's rightfully yours." Grendel handed a wooden staff with a red gem resting on it. As Weniry held it, she felt a rush of magic in her body, and she staggered a bit. Replex ran forward to catch her from behind.

"Be careful, Weniry." He cautioned, and Weniry shook her head, a little dizzy. Grendel chuckled, waving his staff and making the blue liquid Weniry had made into several empty bottles. "You actually made a Blue Potion. You do remember what it does, right Weniry?" Weniry nodded in response. "It replenishes a Magician's magic power." Grendel gave a smile, waving his staff at his shelf, a green leather bound book shifting its way out and floating before Weniry together with the Blue Potions.

"The potions are for your usage. I want you to join Replex on his little journey around Victoria Island. This book contains a lot of magic spells you can learn on your spare time during your journey, so don't forget to study hard while travelling. And - Replex, please look after Weniry for me." Replex gave a thumbs-up, patting Weniry on the back.

"Do you have a pouch of some sort? If not, you may store your potions in my pouch," Replex offered. Weniry passed the Blue Potions to Replex, grabbing a leather strap nearby and attaching it to her book, slinging it over her back. Weniry then looked down at her Rubian Staff, caressing its wooden body and the red gem gently, as if mystified by it. Grendel gave a short cough to snap her back to reality.

"Henesys town, the town of Bowmen, is but a stone's throw away. If you leave now, both of you should be able to reach Henesys by dusk." Both Weniry and Replex bowed to Grendel, before leaving the building. Grendel smiled, until the presence of Replex and Weniry disappears. He gives a huge sigh, looking outside one of the stained glass windows.

"I wonder what the man is up to, sending them out on a journey like this? What does he wish to accomplish from this?" He questions.

* * *

><p>Replex and Weniry had just barely crossed the South Ellinia gates when Weniry felt a cold shiver down her spine. Replex looked at her. "Is there something wrong, Weniry?" He asked with concern in his voice.<p>

"I just have a bad feeling... Never mind. Come on, it doesn't take long to get down to the base of Ellinia Forest. Just prepare for a lot of jumping." Weniry replied. Replex tilted his head slightly to the side.

"What do you mean a lot of - Hey!" Replex got a shock as Weniry just jumped off the ledge. He looked down and saw Weniry waving at him. "The drop isn't that long! Just follow me!" Replex gave a playful grin, and followed after Weniry, jumping from ledge to ledge. Eventually they found their way down to the base. Upon walking out of the forest, Weniry shielded her eyes as she was temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight, while Replex merely blinked for a few seconds.

"Not used to the bright light, eh?"

"Yeah... The sunlight isn't this bright in Ellinia. But it does have a nice warm feeling." Weniry smiled. She spun around for a bit in the fields, grass rustling gently in the wind. Replex smiled, happy that Weniry was enjoying herself. He pulled his shield out to look at its surface, before spotting a small mushroom walking towards him. Slightly freaked out by the fact that it was a walking mushroom, he bashed it with his shield, and raised an eyebrow as a spore dropped from it as it fell over. Weniry grabbed the spore before Replex could say anything else.

"Oh a Spore monster. You know, if we have any useless extra items, we can pawn them off at the shop for some extra mesos." Weniry added, and saw a few sparkling coins near the Spore monster. "We don't know why, but sometimes monsters hold some mesos too. I have a feeling they stole it from nearby villagers though." Weniry giggled, and Replex laughed with her. She put the money in Replex's pouch and looked at its contents. "We should sell some branches and leaves. We can get a decent amount of money from that. Come on, Henesys is just down that path!"

Replex gave a soft sigh as Weniry skipped ahead of him. "She must be really excited to come out. I guess she's like me, confined in one place all the time..." He did a quick jog and followed up behind Weniry, and walked by her side as mushroom shape houses came into view. Weniry pointed excitedly at the houses.

"Here we are! Henesys village! I haven't been here since Master Grendel took me out to buy a few supplies." Replex chuckled at her energy. Suddenly, a shower of wooden arrows came from the side. Replex quickly pulled out his shield and hugged Weniry close to him as he held the shield above them, protecting them from harm. Weniry blushed a deep red as she came in contact with Replex.

"W-Who's attacking us?"

"I don't know," Replex replied simply. A small group of bowmen suddenly surrounded them, bows in their hands and arrows ready to fire. A tall fair-skinned bowman stood out amongst them, carrying a unique jade-coloured bow, whilst the rest carried red or blue bows. The tall archer had light blond hair that blew gently in the breeze and sapphire blue eyes that stare intently at Replex and Weniry. The bottom ends of his one-line grey t-shirt was flapping loosely over his belt, which held up his grey-blue pants. The ends of his pants were tucked into his high brown leather boots and both his hands were covered by brown leather archery gloves.

"Both of you are under arrest as suspects of being involved in the recent thieving cases plaguing Henesys." he said, shocking Replex and Weniry.

_'What thieving case?'_ was the only thought that ran through both of their minds.

* * *

><p>AN: That's chapter 4 now~ And Yes, Weniry can use skills from the second job 'tier' for all those who are wondering. And I know King Slimes do not exist in Ellinia, I did mention that there are some alterations here and there. I just thought it would fit better... Ellinia is full of slimes anyway. And hooray for silly explainations on why monsters carry mesos, yeah? As always, constructive reviews are always welcome!


	5. Misunderstandings

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Chapter 5: Misunderstandings

Replex and Weniry looked around them, only to see that both of them are completely surrounded. The leader of the group set down his bow, putting out one hand in a semi-friendly gesture.

"Come quietly to see Mistress Athena," he commented monotonously with a slight demanding tone. Weniry turned to Replex, worry evident on her face.

"Should we follow them? Or should we make a break for it?" She asked hurriedly in a hushed tone.

Replex closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed in deep thinking, before looking back at the blonde teenager straight in the eyes. "We'll go with you." The teenager gave a short, curt nod.

"Smart choice, considering how the both of you are outnumbered. Tie up their arms and disarm them!"

Weniry struggle a little, wincing as the archers tied a rough brown rope around her wrists and took away her staff. She turned to Replex, her eyes demanding an explanation. Replex merely watched calmly as his sword and shield get taken away from him. He then turned to Weniry. "Both you and I know we did not do anything wrong; we'd merely just come from Ellinia. However, it doesn't seem like these guys are going to listen to us, so we might as well play along. We did nothing wrong, we have nothing to fear or hide if we didn't." Weniry blinked, surprised by Replex's logical explanation. Replex growled when one of the bowmen push him forward to get him moving.

"Hey! I can walk by myself darn it!" He yelled at the bowman, resulting in the bowman backing off slightly. Weniry sighed mentally. _Replex is agitated by this false accusation too, I guess,_ she thought to herself, following the archers into the town.

* * *

><p>Replex and Weniry looked around Henesys as they were led into a park. Henesys was eerily quiet, and the sun was just setting.<p>

"This is strange," Weniry mumbled. "Henesys is known to be the trading hub of Victoria Island. It's always bustling with life till late dusk, but there's hardly a sign of life here." Replex gave a curious look at one of the bowman statues. It showed a bowman riding a horse and aiming at something. He grunted when he was shoved roughly by the leader.

"Move it." Replex growled as the leader said that, but moved along grudgingly. He looked up and saw a large house built into a tree, with the flag of the bowmen flying high in the soft breeze that was blowing. "Get inside, and mind your manners while speaking to Mistress Athena," the leader spoke gruffly.

Replex gave a snort, walking in with Weniry, their hands still tied up. The first room they stepped into had two floors, and they could see a faint shadow being cast on the wall on the second floor. Nodding at Weniry, Replex motioned his head in the direction of the wooden stairs, climbing up to the second floor. The staircase was finely polished, its handrail smooth and free from bits of wood.

When they reached the top of their small climb, Replex could see a view of the park from the windows on the wall. The sun had already set halfway, casting its warm evening glow over the park's flowers. He turned to his side to see a young adult lady sitting at a table, eyes screening over a piece of yellow parchment. She had deep green eyes, her pale green hair was pushed up by a golden jewelled headpiece, and locks of hair fell over her face and framed it, curling at its ends slightly. A small lock of hair blew gently above the rest of her hair as the evening breeze blew in from the window beside her. A white mozzetta-like cloth covered her neck and her chest. Her slender fingers reached for an ink pen sitting in a bottle and she started writing something on the parchment, careful not to let the long sleeves of her beige coloured shirt smudge the ink. Replex took another look at her, and noticed she had long pointed ears, a small earring on both her ears.

"That's the leader of the Bowmen... Athena Pierce the Elf, It was said that she drove back a bunch of monsters from Henesys before it was established, and from then on, earned the respect of the townspeople and went on to make Henesys a trading hub of Victoria Island," Weniry whispered to Replex. The leader of the bowmen group from before went before the table, bowing slightly, his hand to his chest.

"Mistress Athena, I have brought suspects of the robbery case," he said, placing Replex's sword and shield as well as Weniry's staff on the table before Athena. Athena looked up from her paper, shifting slightly to look at Replex and Weniry.

"But they are just teenagers, are they not, Leo?"

Leo shook his head slightly. "It would appear so, but we should not be deceived by mere looks, Mistress. They match the description that the townspeople have provided, one of a male warrior, another of a young women mage."

Athena leaned slightly forward, looking at Replex and Weniry, before looking at the weapons before her. Her eyes spotted the red gems on both their weapons. She gave a small, but noticeable gasp as she delicately covered her mouth. She turned to the bowmen. "You are dismissed, boys. Leo, stay." The bowmen bowed and turned to leave. Athena got up and locked the door after they left, closing the curtains and switching on the lights.

"Mistress Athena, why are you-" A wave from Athena's hand silenced Leo.

"This has to be discussed in secret only in your, the three of you, presence."

* * *

><p>After ensuring that no one could listen on them, she turned to Replex and Weniry.<p>

"Are you two perhaps... Bearers of the Rubian Marks?" She questioned. This drew a small shocked gasp from Weniry and a raised brow from Replex.

"Maybe we are, who knows. How would you know that?" Replex snapped back, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Athena ignored it, giving a soft giggle.

"Young warrior, I'm good friends with Dances with Balrog and Grendel. Furthermore, Leo has one as well."

"Who, snappy boy over there?" Replex remarked, earning him a growl from Leo, who raised his green bow. Upon closer look, Weniry noticed red intricate carvings on the body of his bow.

"Watch that mouth, warrior, or you may find a bar of soap in it," Leo hissed at Replex. Athena cleared her throat, drawing both boys' attention back to her.

"Stop arguing, both of you. Leo, remove your leather gloves," she ordered, and Leo complied, pulling off the right glove, raising it so that Replex and Weniry can see the back of his hand properly. A red outline of a bow was marked on his hand. Replex and Weniry felt a slight burning sensation on the back of their own hands in response to Leo's mark, which had glowed softly before its light faded. Athena turned back to the duo.

"Would the two of you remove your gloves? It would prove your innocence in this case, for one."

Replex raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure, I would."

"But would you please UNTIE our hands first?"

* * *

><p>"Man, that was a long session." Replex whined, stretching and walking out from the house, his sword and shield on his back.<p>

"Please, Replex, it was only ten minutes." Weniry giggled, looking at her book, flipping through its pages.

"Tell that to someone like me who can't sit still and listen. What are you looking at?" Replex took a peek at the pages.

"A map of Henesys. I'm trying to see if I can find that Inn Athena mentioned." Weniry replied. "Okay, found it. Come on, let's proceed there for the night."

Replex sighed, rubbing his shoulders slightly. They were still aching from the King Slime incident. His mind wandered as he thought back to what was discussed earlier in Athena's house.

* * *

><p>- Several minutes earlier -<p>

"Alright, now that we have confirmed you two are not the robbers, but the students of Dances with Balrog and Grendel, Leo, I believe the very least you could do is apologise to them," Athena said sternly, turning to Leo, who looked down at his feet, a slight frown on his face.

"..."

"Leo Mark Ace!" Athena raised her voice slightly, a slight display of anger hidden in it.

"... I'm sorry for falsely accusing the both of you," he said, looking at Replex and Weniry directly. His eyes glanced at Athena. "May I be excused, Mistress Athena?"

Athena nodded her head in response, and Leo strutted off quickly. Athena gave a huge sigh after Leo left. "That young man is pushing himself too far..."

Weniry raised a curious eyebrow. "You mentioned something about a robbery case, Mistress Athena. Well... Is there something the both of us could do to help?"

Athena was slightly surprised, eyes blinking. She touched her lips gently, eyes straying to the side as if she was deep in thought. "Very well, I suppose I can share with you what has been happening around here. As you may probably know, Henesys is usually a very busy place in Victoria Island."

"Yeah, but now it looks like a total ghost town in the evening," Replex replied bluntly, earning him a short, weak elbow in the ribs from Weniry. He shook it off easily anyway.

"Well, put bluntly that is true. This is due to the recent robbery cases that have been happening. From what we've heard from the townspeople, a male warrior and a young female mage have been robbing people at around dusk time. Furthermore, they've been very elusive, and we simply cannot find their hiding spot. The entire town is put on high alert. It's so bad that I had no choice but to even put a bounty on their heads." Athena paused shortly to let the duo absorb the information, before continuing.

"All the bowmen patrol teams I have in Henesys patrol around regularly, but still, robbery cases happen and the wicked duo more than often get away without leaving a single trace. That's why Leo suspected the both of you immediately as you two turned up at around the time the robbers would turn up, and you matched their description. Please forgive him for his rashness, he's just been so frustrated by these incidents lately."

Replex crossed his arms, frowning a little. "Honestly speaking, as a warrior of Perion who loves his town very much, I can understand his feelings when his town is in such a dire state, but isn't he taking it too far?"

"Leo has more than once encountered the robbers himself, only to have them slip away from right under his nose. He's one of the top bowmen I have, and this resulted in him being mocked by others for letting them escape from him. I guess he just wants to prove himself, and those feelings have clouded his judgement. He would not act so hastily..." Athena shook her head, eyes closed in worry.

"As I've heard from both of your masters, you two are also orphans. Leo is the same, possessing an innate talent for archery and music. He also possessed great leadership skills, and took control of one of the small patrol teams. However, as a result of constant back stabbing from people who he thought were his friends, he closed himself up quite a fair bit. The only person he ever talks to now is me, and maybe his patrol team, but even so it's hard to communicate with him."

Weniry held her chin in thought. "How about we help them out, Replex?"

Replex placed his arms leisurely behind his head in a relaxed manner, stretching a little. "Why not? I don't like it when people steal from others and cause so much trouble for others anyway."

Athena gave a grateful smile. "Thank you, the two of you. If you wish, there are hunting grounds nearby for you to train. It's open to all, but I still recommend that you use it in the afternoon... Mornings are still quite dangerous, as the sun isn't up yet."

Replex gave his cheeky grin. "No problem, Mistress Athena. Erm… Hey, is there an inn around here somewhere? It's kinda dark out."

Athena giggled a little. "Yes, there is. The marketplace has the necessary shops for your adventures as well as a small inn. Rest well, both of you. If you wish, you may see me anytime if I'm available." Replex and Weniry nodded, bowing before exiting the house.

* * *

><p>- Present Time -<p>

"… So now we have to find some clues on how to catch these robbers, huh?" Replex said, pushing the doors open to the inn. Weniry gave a curt nod, talking to the innkeeper. She handed Replex a small key. "This is the key to your room, its right next to mine. I think we should keep our stuff with us at all times. You know, just to not risk it?" Weniry suggested.

"Alright. Hmm… Let's grab some food, shall we? I'm starving. All that talking and what not sure made me hungry," Replex complained, making Weniry laugh.

"Warriors! Sure, but let's pawn some of the stuff we have to get some mesos first. We can't get anything if we don't sell something!" Replex laughed with her, following Weniry to a nearby potion shop. They sold some of the branches and leaves they've collected, as well as the spore they got earlier. Weniry took the mesos, pocketing them. "I'll take care of our finances, don't worry."

"Alright. I think a magician will be way better at keeping track of money than a warrior would!' Replex laughed, returning to the Inn to get some food with Weniry. As they were sipping their drinks after finishing their meal, a familiar face came into the inn. Replex looked up and gave a small grin. "Hey there Leo, looking for us?"

Leo gave a small scowl on his face, glaring at Replex and Weniry. "I just came to say this to you. Stay out of my business."

Replex made an offended sound. "Hey, we're trying to help you sort out this damn mess, why don't you just accept it?" Replex said, a dangerous tone in his voice, getting up. Weniry pulled back a little, unsure of what was going to happen.

Leo grabbed Replex's shirt, pulling him to his face. "I don't need an outsider's help!" He yelled in Replex's face, drawing stares from other diners at the inn.

"Why you, arrogant bowman, I oughta punch some sense into you!" Replex yelled back, pulling his arm back, only to be restrained by Weniry, who grabbed his arms and dragged him back slightly away from Leo.

"Please don't start a fight here, you two!" She pleaded, looking at Leo. Leo grunted a little, turning away and leaving in a huff.

Replex shook himself free from Weniry. "Why did you stop me?" He demanded. Weniry winced slightly from the harshness in Replex's voice, one she has never heard before.

"He... I mean, we shouldn't cause a commotion here. It's no point if we get into a fight with him, right?"

Replex thought about it for a moment, sighing and shaking his head. "Fine. Let's just go to our rooms. We'll meet in the morning." Weniry nodded, placing the dishes neatly in one stack before proceeding to her room. Replex did the same, a slight frown on his face as he opened his door.

* * *

><p>The inn room was quite furnished, not to the point of lavishness yet not so unfurnished that it was empty. A small bed stood in one corner of the room, complete with a bedside table. A fireplace stood in the opposite wall, probably for the cold nights.<p>

Replex put his equipment by his bedside and his pouch on the floor. Without a moment's thought, he tumbled backwards onto the bed, exhausted. The bed made creaking sounds as his back hit the mattress. He ran his hand through his hair, thinking about the events that had happened earlier that day as he undid his tied-up hair. He looked out of the window and saw the moon coming up. His mind wandered back to Perion.

"Karamel... I wonder how are you? Are you well? A lot of things happened here... Perion is always so peaceful... I guess I can imagine how Leo feels when his town is under such a situation. Sigh..." Replex pulled off his glasses and set them by the bedside table, pulling the covers over him and tried to get some sleep.

In Weniry's room, she was reading up on one of the written spells, taking in its theory. "Let's see... Cold Beam. By gathering up magic in your wand or staff, concentrate on freezing the small area around your wand to create a fragment of ice. Ugh..." Weniry held her head. "Robbers huh? Well, Leo must be struck hard by this crisis of sorts. Why do I feel a strong connection to him though? Furthermore, he looks so lonely as well. Mm... I need sleep. I'll probably be able to think better in the morning." With that, she set her book aside and pulled off the band holding up her ponytail, laying her head down.

Night had fallen for the island and the town, but Leo was still up, carrying his bow and a quiver on his back as he patrolled around Henesys. His eyes narrowed as he heard the rustling of grass behind him. Silently, he made his way over to a bush, using his bow to push away the leaf clumps. A shiny gem lay in the grass and he picked it up.

"This was one of the missing items reported last week. Why is it here?" As Leo pondered over his question, he did not notice a shadow creeping up on him. Suddenly, the blunt end of a spear slammed into Leo's head, making him fall unconscious onto the ground, bleeding from the head. He was then slowly dragged off to who knows where, leaving behind only a pendant that was knocked off his body when the hilt made contact with his skull. The pendant glimmered in the moonlight, lying on the soft grass.

* * *

><p>AN: Hoho~ Not much to say for this chapter, other than the rather blunt ending. R&R~


	6. Investigations and Hidden Street

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

WildOrion: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I have some issues with punctuation; I'm working on it though! And maaybe there will be one from every class, who knows? You missed out Karamel, actually, he has one too. Again, thanks for your review. :)

Chapter 6: Investigations and Hidden Street

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows on Replex's room and shone on his face. He covered his eyes with his hand, blinking a few times sleepily.

"Is it dawn already?" He yawned, stretching and getting off his bed, taking care to arrange the blanket and pillow back properly. He stretched his legs and arms a few times, before putting his glasses on and taking a small shower in the bathroom, washing his face and hair. He took a glance at the clock. "7am? I have some time to clean and dry my clothes, I guess." He took off his clothes and wrapped the lower portion of his body with a towel. Replex then gave his clothes a quick wash, squeezing most of the water out of them and letting them sun on the bed. Meanwhile, he sat down on the chair in the room, staring at the clock.

A knock on the door made him turn his head. "Come in," he called out. The door opened with a creak and Weniry walked in. Upon seeing Replex half-naked with just a towel around his waist, her cheeks started turning a crimson red and she immediately turned around in embarrassment. Replex gave a small chuckle. "It's alright, Weniry, there's no need to be embarrassed."

Weniry started stammering. "S-Sorry for intruding... I-I didn't know."

Replex gave a modest chuckle. "I said it was alright."

Weniry shook her head. "I-It's not right for me though. Anyway, I thought I'd tell you that I needed to take a shower as well, so I was thinking that we should meet downstairs for breakfast in an hour's time?"

"Very well; take your time, it's no rush." Weniry immediately ran back to her room, closing the door behind her. Replex gave a quizzical look. "Why is she so embarrassed just seeing me without my top? Maybe the guys in Ellinia don't take off their shirt after a hard day's work of training like we do in Perion..."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Replex was sitting down at a table in the inn, waiting patiently for Weniry. He heard someone rushing down the staircase and turned.<p>

"I'm sorry! My clothes took longer than expected to dry!" Weniry called out to him, bowing repeatedly in an apologetic manner. Replex smiled.

"It's alright. Come on, let's get some breakfast." He said, grinning. Weniry blushed softly, taking some mesos out to order their food. Luckily for them, they managed to get some pancakes with maple syrup, much to Weniry's delight, surprisingly.

"You like pancakes with maple syrup, huh?" Replex asked, watching as Weniry poured a lot of syrup over her pancakes. Weniry blushed a little bit, embarrassed by her behavior of pouring so much syrup.

"Yes. However, we don't get access to pancakes that often in Ellinia. Well we do, but the syrup is hard to make just right with the correct amount of sweetness," Weniry explained, scratching the back of her head. "I love pancakes for some reason... Master Grendel said I used to ask for pancakes a lot... Hehe." Replex grinned, putting his hands together.

"Let's eat!" He said out, picking up his utensils to start eating.

As they were both digging into their meal, a bowman dashed in through the doors of the inn, arriving at their table. He was panting heavily as if he ran an entire round around Victoria Island.

"Whoa, chill dude. What's up?" Replex said, offering his drink to the bowman, who pushed it away with a gloved hand. His entire face was red from running.

"Mistress Athena summons the both of you! It's urgent and she wants you to see her as soon as possible! Erm, after you're both done with your meal that is. She says it's regarding Leo, he's gone missing!" The bowman said amidst his pants, waving his arms in an exaggerated manner

Replex and Weniry both glanced at each other, wolfing down the last bits of their pancakes before rushing to Athena's house. As they approached the tree house, they saw Athena debriefing a group of bowmen, and watched as that group saluted her and scattered. Athena turned and spotted the duo, waving at them to hurry up. The duo stood before Athena, panting a little.

"Good morning, Mistress Athena. What's wrong? What happened to Leo?" Weniry asked, holding her side slightly in pain.

Athena had a worried look on her face. Her hair was in a slight mess, as if she did not have enough time to tidy it before meeting them. "This morning, Leo didn't report for the morning briefing as he usually would. I always give a morning briefing to the bowmen that patrol around the town. When he didn't appear, I had a small group search around Henesys for a bit, and they found this." She took a small, metal, rectangular military necklace out and showed it to Replex and Weniry. It had Leo's full name carved on it.

"This pendant was a gift from me to him when he was younger. He wore it with pride and never takes it off no matter what. The bowmen found it lying in the grass near West exit of Henesys, near the Henesys Hunting Grounds." Athena's eyes showed great concern over this issue.

"I know this may be a bit too much to ask of you considering you have just arrived in Henesys, but could you please assist us in finding Leo? I fear he may have been captured by the robbers, but that is but a mere hunch."

Replex frowned, his eyes blazing in anger. "No problem, Mistress Athena. If it really was the robbers who took Leo, we'll make them pay." He then turned to Weniry. "Come on, let's make haste, Weniry!"

Weniry nodded, following Replex. There was a puzzled on her face though. When they were out of earshot, she pulled at his sleeved and asked, "Why do you seem so agitated by this? I thought you didn't like Leo all that much."

Replex opened his mouth to reply, but paused, closing his eyes. "Yes, I don't like Leo's stinkin' attitude one bit at all. In fact, I really dislike it. However, no matter how much his attitude stinks, he's disappeared, and could be in some danger. When that happens I don't care, I just want to help him. We can sort out the differences later."

Weniry looked at his face. He seemed very deep in thought and very serious. She smiled softly. "Well then, let's go looking for clues then," she said, pulling Replex along with her.

* * *

><p>It was only a five minute walk from where they were to the entrance to Henesys Hunting Grounds. As they approached the entrance, Weniry grabbed Replex's sleeve to stop him. "Replex, Mistress Athena said the pendant was found around here, wasn't it? Let's look around. I'm pretty sure all the other hiding spots in Henesys would have been checked out by the scouting teams."<p>

Replex nodded, staring to look around. He observed his surroundings; there were two really huge trees that stood out in town, and a few mushroom houses which already had occupants. It would not make sense for them to go barging in on the residents there, declaring that they were looking for a missing person. _That would be too rude and abrupt,_ Replex thought. He gave a shrug, climbing onto a stack of hay which surprisingly managed to withstand his weight. He looked around and saw more flowers and grass, as well as more houses. There was still no sign of Leo or the robbers, sadly.

"Have you found anything, Replex?" Replex looked and saw Weniry, her clothes already slightly dirtied. He gave a small chuckle.

"Did you try finding a hole in the grass or something Weniry? Your clothes are dirty again." Weniry blushed, holding her staff close to her.

"Erm, I did, I guess..." She murmured shyly. Replex laughed, but frowned slightly. He leaned against the tree, pulling the ends of his hair slightly.

"There really isn't a single trace left except for that pendant. Damn, those robbers are really good. Damn it!" Replex slammed his fist against the tree in anger. Weniry's eyes opened wide as she pushed Replex away from the tree. "Hey, hey! Weniry, what's gotten into you?" Replex asked, surprised.

Weniry was looking at the tree, her gaze going from the base from the base of the tree to the top. She raised her hand to touch the bark of the tree. "Feels like a normal tree," she says. She suddenly rapped her knuckles sharply on the tree. To Replex's surprise, it produced a loud, hollow sound.

"A tree making a hollow sound?" Replex said, flabbergasted. Weniry gave a wide smile.

"If this tree hides a hidden passage... I believe this will lead us to where Leo is," She said confidently. She jumped onto the nearby stacks of hay, trying to reach for one of the lowest branches. Replex gave a sigh, and climbed behind her, holding her by the hips gently and lifting her up on his shoulders.

"Aaah! Replex, what are you doing!"

"I'm giving you a hand! Stand on my shoulders and you should be able to reach the branch!" Replex yelled slightly. Weniry blushed, slowly getting up on Replex's shoulders. She barely made it up on the lowest branch, climbing onto it and sitting on it. Replex smirked to himself as he bent low and jumped, hands outstretched as he reached for the branch and grabbed it, pulling himself up.

Weniry fanned herself slightly with her hand. "I'm not used to physical work," she groaned. Replex chucked as he leaned back onto the tree, only to let out a surprise yell.

"Woah!"

Weniry turned to see Replex gone, and that there was a large carved out hole in the tree where Replex should have been. She peered inside and saw a slope down. "Well, well, well. I wonder where this leads." Without a second thought, she slipped in as well, holding onto her belongings tight as she slid down the slope. All she saw a bright flash of light before landing on her rear painfully. She groaned, getting up and rubbing her rear gently.

"Had a fun slide too, Weniry?" She heard Replex's voice coming from behind her. She turned and saw Replex sprawled on his back on his grass, looking at her. "Fell backwards and landed like this. Thought I would lay here for a bit and stare at the sky, even though we fell into a tree trunk," Replex said jokingly.

Weniry looked around. Even though they had fallen into a tree trunk, there was grass around and blue skies. A rope ladder dangled beside her, leading upwards into another tree where there was another small hole. There was a small mushroom house in the distance.

"I think I read about this before. I believe this is a Hidden Street."

"A Hidden Street? I heard Karamel mention about it before, but I wasn't really paying attention to him," Replex replied, getting up while rubbing his back.

"A Hidden Street is a different location that can be accessed by an entrance. For example that hole in the tree trunk that we fell. That bright flash I saw just now was probably the magic that teleported us here," Weniry explained, then pointed at the rope ladder leading to the other hole. "This is probably the way back to Henesys. Hidden Streets are everywhere, but like their name, are really well hidden."

"So this is one spot the bowmen didn't know about. I'm surprised Athena doesn't know about it either, but then again, it IS well hidden." Replex continued to rub his back gently as he tilted his neck in several directions. "Well, let's investigate that house. I'm willingly to bet all the mesos we have that Leo and the robbers are inside that."

"But Replex, the mesos are ours, even if I win the bet, it's still ours..."

"Oh sheesh Weniry, have a joke!"

* * *

><p>After a rather long walk across the flowery plains, Replex and Weniry reached the mushroom house they saw. Replex shushed Weniry, ducking below a window. He points inside, and the both of them peep in to get a view of the house through the glass while trying to remain unseen.<p>

The room was dimly lit, but bright enough to get a good view of whom and what was inside. Objects of all kinds were piled up in one corner, some being gems, some being antiques. Replex could hear some voices, and shifted to the door and pressed his ear on it to listen. He could make out a male's voice and a female's voice, as well as Leo's.

"The two of you will pay dearly for robbing the citizens of Henesys!" _That was Leo's voice for sure_, Replex thought. A loud slap was heard followed by a cry of pain from Leo.

"Try us boy. No one knows of our hiding location. How do you think we've evaded capture from Athena Pierce and you this entire time?" Replex frowned. _A male voice now, _he thought.

"..."

"You know, you were beginning to become a big pain in our neck, boy," the male voice continued.

"Me? You two are already a big pain in the citizens of Henesys's ass- Ack!"

A loud smacking sound was heard, followed by a cry of pain from Leo.

"Shut up or the next slap will hurt even more. Be glad that we aren't torturing you that bad, little bowman," the male voice said in a taunting voice.

Silence fell in the house and Replex could not hear anything else. He motioned Weniry to come to him. "Listen Weniry, I'll ram the door down alright? See if you can stun them with your magic for a bit."

"Isn't it a bit reckless?"

"Reckless is my middle name, Weniry," Replex replied, backing off a bit. "Here goes nothing!" With a loud cry, Replex charged forward and rammed the flimsy wooden door down, drawing the attention of the people inside. Weniry followed him quickly.

"Seems like we have company," the male warrior said. He had red hair that was brushed back, and deep blue eyes. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, carrying a red spear in his hand.

"Apparently we do. How did they managed to find us, I will never know." This time, a female magician spoke. Her curly green hair reached her shoulder, curling even more at its ends. Her dark green eyes shone with a wicked glint, and her fingers twirled a yellow and blue wand nimbly. She wore a blue skirt and shirt, tilting her hips slightly in an arrogant manner.

Behind the two of them was Leo tied up in a chair. He had several bruises on his face and his arms, and his pants were ripped in several places. He had a look of utter disbelief when he saw Replex and Weniry, as if he just could not believe they were just standing in front of him.

"A Serpent's Tongue... A spearman!" Replex exclaimed.

"That's a Wizard Wand... Are you a magician from Ellinia?" Weniry asked.

"My name is Derelia, little mage. Yes, I'm a magician from Ellinia, what's that to you?"

"Likewise, to the warrior over there, I'm a spearman from Perion. You seem like a complete newbie though. My name is Hakru."

Replex gripped his sword and shield tightly, shaking in anger.

"Why? Why are you robbing the people in Henesys!" He demanded angrily.

"Why? We don't need a reason. It's kind of a pleasure to steal stuff. Since Henesys is the business hub, there are plenty of priceless artifacts here to pillage," Hakru said, tapping the edge of his Serpent's Tongue on the metal part of his gloves gently.

"Well, no matter what, you two have to be stopped!" Weniry spoke out. She gave a loud scream as lighting crashed down on the ground before her, narrowly missing her.

"The question is, do you two beginners have the skills to stop us? You are aware we have already progressed to the second job at least." Derelia grinned wickedly, twirling her wand and cackling loudly.

Replex growled, anger building in his veins. "Don't be too cocky just because you're of a higher job tier than us!"

Hakru gave a cocky smirk, widening his stance and holding his spear with both hands.

"Then just try and stop us!"

* * *

><p>AN: Quite a short chapter, not much except on what really happened to Leo. The two robbers' names are made up on the spot and have no meaning to them... Hehe. As usual, I love constructive criticism~ R&R!


	7. Reason

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

WildOrion: Kara(mel)-kun? Oh he's faring well alright... Hehehe... I may do a chapter on his side of the story, but that will have to wait till I'm done with this, or when I feel like it. *shot* Anyway, the portal thing was something I thought of way back... Trying to replace levels with skill and portals with just continuous walking, etc etc. Thanks for the review! PS. You don't need to apologise for a late review. xD

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 7: Reason<span>

Replex growled fiercely at Hakru, leaping forward at him. "We will, Hakru!" he yells, before bringing his sword down on Hakru. Hakru blocked with his spear, smirking confidently. He pushed Replex back a small distance, and the both of them circled each other for a few seconds. Another second later when their eyes met, their weapons were both locked together again. Replex forced Hakru backed, about to ram his shield at his head. He saw a fast blur of red as a hard fist collided with his chin, followed swiftly by a knee to his gut. Replex coughed violently, backing off and wiping a trail of blood away from his lips. "This ain't the end yet..." He muttered, before charging at Hakru again, his face now showing a look of fury.

Weniry looked at Replex with a worried look on her face. "My dear, you should be worried for yourself, shouldn't you?" whispered Derelia from behind her. Weniry turned in shock, about to use her staff as a blunt weapon. Derelia cackled as she waved her wand.

"Thunder Bolt!" Lightning bolts crashed around Weniry, electrifying her body.

"Argh!" She screamed as the powerful shocks ran through her body, sending pain throughout her being. Weniry fell to her knees, panting and holding her arms in pain. Weakly, she got up and drew a flaming bow like she did previously with the King Slime.

"Fire Arrow!" She released the burning arrow at Derelia, who took the blow. To her astonishment, Derelia only suffered minor burns. There was a light magic veil surrounding her that was faint but still could be seen. "M-Magic Guard?"

"It's a useful protection spell, dearie. You should keep in mind and remember that. Take it as a tip from someone who's above you! Thunder Bolt!" Derelia fired another round of blue-white lightning bolts at Weniry. Weniry let out a painful scream before she fell to the ground

"Weniry!" Replex exclaimed as he turned to run to her side. Suddenly, fresh, red liquid dotted his glasses, before he became aware of the stinging pain in his ribs and legs as he fell onto his side. He looked down at himself and saw two wounds; one at the area where his ribs are and the other at his legs.

"Didn't Dances with Balrog tell you never to turn your back on your enemy, little grasshopper?" Hakru said mockingly, giving Replex a hard kick in the chest. Replex coughed out saliva as his foot made contact with his chest, groaning slightly as he tried to keep his eyes open. His surroundings were starting to turn fuzzy...

"R-Replex..." Weniry whimpered weakly as she pointed her staff at Replex, chanting the words for her Heal spell. Her arms started feeling heavy as she saw ice forming around them.

"Sorry darling, but you won't be healing him anytime soon," Derelia said, freezing Weniry's legs as well.

"T-This is... Cold Beam?"

"Correct, my dear. In this case I've manipulated it to be able to freeze you. Just enjoy this cold, slow death," Derelia said, an evil look on her face. Weniry panted, her limbs turning numb as she struggled to move and keep the blood circulating in the frozen areas.

"S-Shit..." Replex muttered, forcing himself up and staggering. Hakru gave a look of disgust, before stabbing his Serpent's Tongue at Replex's exposed blind spot.

"You're so stubborn, you disgust me. Just be a good little boy and stay down," Hakru hissed, pulling out his spear that was now dripping with Replex's blood. _That boy reminds me of Leo who just wouldn't give up... Disgusting,_ Hakru thought to himself.

Replex's eyes widened as the pain shot up through his body and blood spilled onto his clothes. "Crap... Have I failed as a warrior?" he murmured weakly, before falling, his vision turning hazy. _Dammit... I can't die here. I want to protect them, even if Leo is a jerkface... I still... have to... find out my destiny, _Replex thought as before his eyelids closed on him.

Hakru smirked, beckoning Derelia to come over to his side. "That was easy," he remarked, giving Replex's head a hard kick and sending his body back a small distance. "Easier than expected."

"Yes. Should we finish them off, Hakru?" Derelia asked whilst a blue Energy Bolt forming at her wand.

"Leave the two alone, you two jerks," Leo hissed from behind. His sapphire eyes glared fiercely at them. Derelia winced slightly in fear, while Hakru growled and pointed the sharp point of his spear at Leo's neck.

"Someone's tired of living, it seems."

"Leave those two alone. They are not part of my crew. They just came upon this place by chance!" Leo yelled in desperation, closed to roaring at the duo. He did not know why, but he just felt that he had to protect the two silly 'outsiders' who risked their lives just to try and rescue him. He felt a strange connection to the two of them, as if they had met a long time ago instead of recently. Hakru pressed the tip of his weapon against Leo's neck, drawing a thin trail of blood from him.

"Well... It seems like they failed in their mission to rescue you anyway. We should just finish them off, whether or not you like it. Unless you care for these 'non-citizens' of Henesys?" Hakru sneered at Leo's uncertain face.

"I-I! Hakru, you bast-!" Leo yelled, struggling in his chair violently. Derelia pointed her wand at him, releasing the blue energy ball at him. Leo screamed in pain as the concentrated energy ran through his body and shocked his nerves. His head hung as the sting from the energy lingered on his body.

"That ought to stop that tongue of his for a moment," Derelia said.

Hakru turned back to Replex, walking over to him and raising his spear. "Hmm... You didn't really put up much of a fight, but I guess I'll be nice and make this painless for you. Farewell, warrior of Perion."

* * *

><p>Replex opened his eyes and found his surroundings completely black. There was no sign of anyone. No sign of Hakru, Derelia, Weniry or Leo. "Where am I?" He ponders. "Am I dead? Was I really too weak to face him? Dammit!"<p>

_Call my name..._

Replex looked around him looking for that voice that just echoed into his head. "That voice... It sounds familiar. Was that the same voice I heard when I received my sword?"

_Call my name, my master..._

Replex gritted his teeth in anger, already at a loss of what to do. "Who are you! How am I supposed to call you when I don't even know your name!" He roared out, breathing hard. His limbs were aching and his breathing was beginning to become laborious.

_You already know my name,_ the mysterious voice laughed in his head. _We were already one when you held me in your hands. There is not much time left. Say it, say my name!_

Replex gave a confused look. He had a feeling he knew what the voice's name was, but he felt rather silly calling it out. He inhaled sharply, preparing himself.

"Replex Cosmos! I call for you!" Silence followed after he said those words. He scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward.

"Ha ha ha... There's no way, right?"

_You really think so, master?_ Replex jumped back when a figure appeared in front of him, floating in the air. He looked exactly like Replex except without the glasses. He floated down and landed on the ground gently.

Replex pointed a shaking finger at him. "W-Who are you? And why do you look exactly like me?"

_My name is your name,_ explained the figure._ Let's just call me Ru, it's easier to say than Rubian Replex, after all. I am the soul of Rubian that dwells within you and your sword._

Replex gave a puzzled look, but put his hand down anyway. "You 'dwell' within me? Why have you not spoken to me then? Why do you only appear now?" Ru chuckled.

_I was asleep. Your strong emotions of wanting to protect and save that bowman- What was his name? Leo I believe? Nevertheless, your strong emotions of wanting to protect someone even though you didn't like him woke me up. If you wish, I can take over your body temporarily and help you. _Ru levitated into the air again as if he was sitting on an invisible chair. _What will it be, my master?_

Replex held his chin, thinking. "If that's the case, don't Weniry and Leo have a Rubian side too?"

Ru Replex sighed. _Yes, they do, but those rubian sides are probably still asleep. They have different criteria to waking up. For you, it was a test of your heart. Give me your orders, master, for you have not much time left!_

Replex bite his lip. "I have a lot more questions to ask, but I'll have to save it. Alright then, Ru, I command you to take care of Hakru and Derelia! Apprehend the both of them and ensure Leo and Weniry's safety!"

Ru gave a soft smile, before bowing. _Acknowledged,_ he replied via telepathy, before a bright light engulfed the both of them.

* * *

><p>Hakru was about to stab his spear into Replex's head when a bright red light shone from the Rubian gem on Replex's sword. He backed off and covered his eyes as the light blinded him.<p>

"Gah! What is this?" He cursed wildly, using his arms as a shield to block out the light. Likewise, Derelia did the same. Weniry and Leo looked on with an amazed look on their faces. When the light died down, Replex was on his feet again, though he was still bleeding from his wounds.

"Ah... So this is the real world huh? It seems quite pleasant. These glasses will mess me up, I better remove them," 'Replex' said, gently removing his glasses and pocketing them. Hakru snarled at him.

"Not down yet huh?" 'Replex' gave a quizzical look as a rsponse to Hakru's question.

"Just so you know, I'm not the same boy you fought just now. I'm his 'other' self... Call me Ru. You don't need to know my real name after all, since you'll be taken care of shortly," Ru said calmly, rubbing his shoulders and twirling his sword in his hand. Hakru snarled, before charging forward with his spear out, ready to pierce him.

"Big words chump!" Hakru yelled as he gave a battle cry. Ru smiled as he pulled his shield in front of him just before Hakru came into the range of stabbing him and rushed forward with it. Hakru crashed into the metal shield as his spear was deflected and the impact of Ru's rush sent him flying behind Leo.

"What did you say there? I didn't quite hear you," mocked Ru. Behind him, Derelia muttered an incantation, creating several large ice shards.

"Die you jerk!" she screamed as she tossed the shards towards Ru. Ru smirked and did a backflip as the shards crashed onto the ground below him. With a swift kick, he knocked the Wizard Wand out of Derelia's hands and with another kick into her gut, sent her crashing into the walls of the room.

"Don't really like hitting girls, but I guess I have no choice today," he sighed and turned to Weniry. Weniry backed off slowly as the ice on her limbs started to melt as Derelia's magic weakened. Ru gave a comforting smile.

"I will not hurt you. Doing so would be going against my master's wish," he said, carrying Weniry in his arms with ease and putting her down next to Leo. "It'll be over soon, you two just wait here alright?"

Leo's face was written with distrust. "Who are you? And why are you helping us?"

Ru gave a large sigh. "I am Ru, I am Replex's Rubian side. When he was unconscious I took over his body as it was his wish to protect you two. I am merely obeying his commands."

"Then why do you choose to obey him when you are way more powerful than he is? Shouldn't he obey you since he is weaker than you? Why would he ask you to help me of all people?"

"It's sort of like a pact I guess, I am bound to him by duty to serve him. If you want to know the reason why he asked me to do it... Why don't you ask him after he wakes up?"

Leo fell silent at that, glaring at Ru. Ru gave a shrug. He then walked over to Hakru, grabbed his collar and threw him to the middle of the room.

"Come on now, don't disappoint me," Ru said as he walked to the middle. Hakru wiped blood away from the corners of his lips, tasting metal in his mouth.

"I'll make you pay for drawing blood from me," threatened Hakru as several blue swirls surrounded the arm which held his spear.

"It's a weapon booster skill! Watch out for his attack speed, it'll increase now!" Weniry warned from her spot. Ru turned his head back slightly, giving a thumbs-up in her direction.

"Thanks for the heads up, Rubian Magician," Ru said with a hint of gratitude in his voice. Weniry blushed and looked meekly at the ground, muttering "You're welcome".

"Hey, look over here, darn it!" Hakru yelled, swinging his spear and attempting to pierce Ru with it. His movement changed to short quick stabs. Ru used his shields to block most of them, letting a few cut his skin and sleeves.

"Cheh!" said Ru, swinging his sword at Hakru. Hakru leapt over him nimbly and landed behind Ru. He got up quickly and charged at Ru's open back.

"I've got you!" He said with a wicked laugh. A loud "Clang!" was heard as the Serpent's Tongue flew out of Hakru's hands and struck the wall. Hakru looked at his hands, bewildered that he had lost his grip on his weapon.

Ru gave an evil smirk. "A shield is really useful for knocking stuff out of people's hand, ya know."

Hakru cursed and leapt back, only for Ru to catch up to him easily, holding a sword that was bursting with energy. "You're not getting away. Power Strike!" Ru gave a mighty swing and the sword made contact with Hakru's gut, blowing him back and through the wall onto the fields outside.

"Oops, perhaps that was too much strength," he said sheepishly, as he climbed through the hole and carried Hakru back and tied up his arms and legs. Surprisingly there was no wound on Hakru's abdomen.

"You hit him with the blunt side of your blade. You could have just finished him off, why didn't you?" questioned Leo, who was freed after Weniry had thawed out from the ice and burned the ropes with fire magic.

"You sure ask a lot of questions, Rubian Bowman. Why not ask my master? He gave me the orders to apprehend the duo. I merely followed his commands." Ru finished tying up Hakru, who had passed out from the blow. He then carried Derelia and tied her up too. He stood up straight and turned to Leo.

"Sorry, but I'll have to leave you with this burden. Seems like I exhausted Replex's body too much..." Ru put the glasses back on and sheathed his sword, before his eyes closed and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Ru! Erm, Replex!" cried out Weniry in concern, as she ran to tend to the out-cold warrior's wounds. Slowly, she healed all the open wounds. "Oh dear, how do we bring him back, he's pretty heavy. I can do some levitation magic, but I can only carry two people at a time..." Weniry looked around, panicking.

"Leave it to me," said Leo, as he lifted Replex onto his back. Weniry gave a surprised squeak.

"I owe him and Ru one anyway. That, and I have questions for him later," explained Leo, grabbing his bow that lay in the corner as he walked to the door. "Come on... Weniry, was it? Levitate those two with magic and follow me. I'll call the bowmen to come here and return the items to the citizens later." Weniry gave a nod. She chanted a short spell, causing Hakru and Derelia to be lifted into the air. She gave a short flick of her wand and followed Leo back to Henesys, the two unconscious robbers floating behind them.

* * *

><p>Upon climbing out of the tree trunk and falling onto the grass of Henesys once more, Leo and Weniry were surrounded by bowmen, a concerned Athena at the head of them all. When she set her eyes on the unconscious Hakru and Derelia as well as the injured Replex, she immediately gave orders for the two robbers to be arrested and for Replex's wounds to be treated immediately. She then hugged Leo and Weniry in front of the bowmen, causing the both of them, especially Leo, to blush madly. It drew a few silent giggles from the bowmen, who had never seen Leo blush so much before.<p>

"Thank Minerva you three are alright," Athena muttered in a soft voice. Weniry squirmed a little, not used to being hugged by an adult.

"M-Mistress Athena, could you please release the both of us?" Leo asked, his face turning an even brighter shade of red. Athena let go of them, wiping her eyes gently. She looked at Leo and gave an alarmed gasp.

"You're injured too! How could I not notice that? Medics, treat Leo's wounds immediately!" Weniry held back her laughs as she saw a stubborn and struggling Leo being dragged off by a few bowmen.

"I-I don't need treatment! It's just a scratch!" Leo yelled desperately, trying to get away but to no avail as he was still dragged off anyway. Weniry turned back to Athena, explaining about the Hidden Street and the house containing all the loot Hakru and Derelia stole from the townspeople. Athena ordered a group of bowmen to enter the tree trunk and retrieve the stolen items and to return them back to their original owners. Athena then supported Weniry as they walked back to the inn.

"Are you sure you're alright, Weniry?" asked Athena. Weniry gave a cheerful smile.

"It's okay. Magic attacks are generally not as effective on me... though it did hurt quite a fair bit. I'll be fine after a good rest," she assured Athena, who heaved a sigh of relief.

"Very well Weniry. Replex should be in his inn room. I'll like the both of you to see me tomorrow, alright?" Weniry gave a nod, before running to her room. There were so many questions she wanted to ask Replex, or Ru. On the other hand, she was also exhausted. Sighing, she lay down on the inn bed. The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep instantly.

* * *

><p>As Replex slept inside his room after being treated for his more serious wounds, he started dreaming. Fierce fires appeared in his dreams, and he saw the vague shapes of four adults in front of him. They were so tall... Or was it because he was looking up at them? One of them casted a spell in his general direction and the shapes of the four adults starting getting smaller and smaller as his view got higher and higher.<p>

All of a sudden, everything went black, and he could only see himself again. "Ru? Are you there?" he called out into the darkness.

_I'm here, master,_ replied Ru, appearing in front of Replex. Replex was slightly taken aback.

"I really have to get used to you appearing in front of me suddenly," joked Replex. "So, did everything go well?"

_Leo and Weniry are safe, and the two who you asked me to deal with are currently being dealt with by the bowmen of Henesys,_ Ru reported. Replex breathed a sigh of relief.

_That bowman seems to dislike you a lot though. He kept asking why you asked me to help him,_ Ru said.

"... I'll explain that to him when I meet him Ru. By the way Ru do you always come out to help me every time I need you?"

Ru shook his head. _Unfortunately, I am not allowed to. I am only allowed to come out when you are in mortal danger. Hmm... Let's say I'm a last resort, alright? But if you need someone to talk to, I don't mind..._

Replex sighed. "I thought so. If not all my fights would be too easy. Besides, I'd prefer it if you come out only when I call you to."

_Acknowledge,_ replied Ru. _When your heart and mind has matured and our beings are in sync, my being will merge with your soul and grant you my strength. But not now._

Replex gave a determined look, punching the space in front of him. Ru chuckled softly at the energy Replex was giving off. _You remind me so much of your father... The one who made me make this pact with you..._

Replex's ears perk up at that. "My father? Ru, you know my dad?"

_I do, but I am not allowed to disclose any information about him to you. That is all I can say._ Ru closed his eyes and disappeared just as Replex reached out to grab him.

"Wait, Ru! ... Damn it, I want to know more..." Replex closed his eyes, looking down at the floor. The more he thought about Ru's words, the more upset he felt. Slowly, he drifted back off to sleep. Ru's being watched over Replex in his inn before walking over to Replex's sword. He turned to get one more look at the sleeping teenager.

_You really are your father's son, Replex, _Ru whispered to no one in particular. _That sense of justice and wanting to protect one's friends... It is that feeling that makes you a true Cosmos._ With that, Ru disappeared back into the Rubian gem on Replex's sword, taking a nice break for his work.

* * *

><p>Replex woke up the next day to the sound of knocking on his door. "Coming, coming," he grumbled as he got up from him bed and fell face first to the ground, his legs aching. The door opened and Weniry entered.<p>

"Excuse me for intruding... Oh my gosh, Replex are you alright?" Weniry ran to Replex's side and helped him up. Replex rubbed his back gently.

"Damn, this is not how a warrior should be feeling... I still have a long way to go. I'll be fine Weniry, my back just aches a little. Did Ru do a backflip or something?" Replex said with a small chuckle, getting up and stretching. _At least my injuries are better. It's only a small muscle ache, Replex Cosmos, live with it!_

Weniry giggled. "Anyway, get your stuff and we'll grab a bite. Mistress Athena wishes to see us." Replex smiled, grabbing his pouch and weapons, proceeding down to another filling breakfast, before leaving the inn to find Athena.

It seemed as if the news had spread throughout Henesys that Weniry and Replex had assisted in the capturing of the robbers, for every once in a while the duo will see a random citizen walk by and smile gratefully at them, as if thanking them for their assistance. Replex knocked on the door to Athena's office, hearing a cheerful "Come in". Both he and Weniry walked up to before Athena. It was no surprise that Leo was standing beside Athena, a shiny necklace around his neck. Leo's look was fierce as usual, but his aura had softened to a more welcoming feel.

"I would like to thank you two on behalf of my town for helping us get through this," Athena said, taking out a bag of mesos. "This was the bounty placed on their heads. Please accept it."

Replex scratched the back of his head. "We're just happy to help. That's a pretty huge sum of money though..."

Athena smiled. "It's alright, you two did your work well and deserve it."

Replex and Weniry both looked at each other. Weniry turned and took the mesos and put them in a money pouch she had. "Thank you, Mistress Athena," she thanked, bowing with Replex. Leo crossed his arms, his sapphire eyes looking at Replex.

"Replex Cosmos, right?"

"Yeah?"

"... Why?"

"Why what?"

"You and I are not on very good terms with each other, hell, we can even be considered strangers. On top of that, I even treated you badly at first glance. Yet, you offered your assistance to help me, and even when you fell, you asked your friend Ru to save me. Why do you even bother?" Replex blinked several times, before slapping his forehead.

"Gosh, you think too much into this. Listen, I may not like that stupid soloist attitude of yours, and yeah, I don't like you that much but," Replex inhaled slightly, calming himself down before he loses his cool in the heat of explaining himself. "Do I need a reason to help someone in need?"

It was Leo's turn to blink as he started stammering. "I-What-How... What kind of an answer is that?"

"Simple. I don't need a reason to help someone! If there is someone that needs help, I'll help!" Replex explained, shaking his head.

Leo's sapphire eyes looked confused for a second. He then cracked a small smile. "Heh. I've never met someone as intriguing as you... For someone your age, you're pretty interesting."

Replex felt a little pissed off by that. "Whaddya mean, 'for someone your age'?"

Athena gave an uneasy laugh. "Perhaps I forgot to inform you, but the two of you are 15 and Leo's actually your senior in age by 2 years..."

Weniry's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"That's old," commented Replex. He received a small growl from Leo.

"Watch it, newbie junior."

"What did you call me!"

"You heard me!"

Replex and Leo started bickering in their own corner, hurling insults at each other's face every few seconds. Weniry and Athena sighed. _Boys will be boys,_ the two of them thought. Athena's face then lit up. She turned to Leo, who was still bickering with Replex.

"Leo, why don't you join Replex and Weniry on their small journey?" Leo turned to Athena. He looked a bit hesitant and reluctant to reply.

"All things considered, I would really like to go on a journey, even though it's with the newbie junior." This drew an angry "Hey!" from Replex, which Leo ignored.

"But at the pace those two are progressing, I would have to decline that offer. These two would be nothing but a mere burden to me." Leo said nothing more and left the office.

Replex looked at Leo with a semi-spiteful look. "Why that arrogant bowman..."

"Leo just means that you two have a lot of potential, it's just that your progress is a little slow," explained Athena. "He has trained other young bowman, so he has a good eye for such things. He just can't put it across properly and nicely, that's all."

Replex frowned. "Maybe someone ought to smoothen out the rough edges of his mouth." Athena smiled softly.

"He may change his mind and join you if you get stronger though. I'm sure he'll make a very good addition to your current team. Like I said before, we have training grounds nearby that you may use. I believe you can try out Hall 5 already. But if you are going to try it out, I suggest bringing lots of potions and supplies so that you don't need to make continuous trips back and forth," Athena advised kindly.

Replex and Weniry smiled, bowing. "Thank you, Mistress Athena!" they said, before turning to leave.

"Okay, so we should stock up on potions first, right?" Replex checked with Weniry.

"Yup. The potion shop is nearby, so let's go grab some supplies and train up!"

"You seem to really want Leo on our team eh, Weniry?"

"Well... For some reason, I've been getting the feeling as if I've known him for a long time."

"Oh ho ho~ Perhaps you're falling in love- Ack!" Replex yelped as Weniry's large book collided with his head. He held his head in pain as Weniry hugged her book close to her, a deep red covering her cheeks.

"S-Shut up Replex!"

* * *

><p>AN: Phew, fight scenes! The fight scene gave me a pretty hard time since I'm not really good with them, so pardon me if it seemed sucky, I'm still trying to get the hang of it. This chapter also gave me problems because I am now conflicting whether or not should I change the rating to M or T! ... I may change it to M because of the later chapters, stupid blood(and Leo's foul mouth)... Anyway, thanks for reading, and leave behind a constructive review if you want~


	8. Training, training, training

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

WildOrion: Thanks for the advice! Eehh Bleach? Never really watched it. And whether or not Weniry has a crush on Leo or not will have to wait~ ;)

Chapter 8: Training, training, training...

* * *

><p>Replex and Weniry walked out of Henesys Potion Shop with Replex's pouch filled with White Potions and some additional Blue Potions.<p>

"I'm still amazed how Karamel actually knew how to enchant this bag to shrink my items," Replex said slightly in awe.

"That's actually a type of magic we magicians use from time to time. But your 'brother' Karamel is a warrior right? Strange..." Weniry put her finger on her chin, in deep thought. She then turned to Replex again as they walked to the Henesys Training Grounds.

"Hey Replex, what do you think of Leo?" Replex turned and look at Weniry with a face that said: _What kind of random question is that!_

Nevertheless, Replex looked up to the pale blue sky and continued walking as he thought of a reply for Weniry. Well, he certainly must have thought really deeply, as for the next second he walked straight into a tree.

"R-Replex! Be careful!" exclaimed Weniry in a surprised tone. Replex fell onto his rear as he rubbed the bruise on his forehead, before getting up on his feet. He frowned when he heard the children of Henesys laughing at him behind his back.

"Damn brats... Oh well, they don't really know any better," Replex grumbled, continuing to walk.

"Well, keep your eyes on the road, not on the sky!" Weniry chided. Replex gave a nod, but her words literally fell on deaf ears as he ignored it.

"Anyway, you asked me about Leo right? Well... I guess he's an alright guy, but he really ought to open up more. I mean, he's slightly more open now, but he still reminds me of a clam that just won't open its shell. But overall, I guess he ain't bad. He still gives me that lonely aura though."

Weniry smiled and noticed that they were approaching a large fenced off area, with two bowmen standing at the entrance. The first bowman looked at them and gave a short nod.

"Mistress Athena has informed us that you will be using Hall 5. Just enter here and walk to the fifth intersection, then turn to your right," instructed the bowman, opening the gates to the training halls. Replex and Weniry gave a thankful nod, proceeding through the gates.

There were several training halls, each marked with a number marked on the doors. The walls surrounding each hall were not very high, but still high enough to prevent anyone from peeping inside the halls. There was no cover for the top of the hall, and anyone, from a high enough height, could look inside. After a short stroll inside, Replex and Weniry arrived at the Hall 5.

"Well, let's get this started then," urged Replex, pushing the doors open as Weniry pulled the thick book off her back and flipped the pages. Suddenly, a mushroom with a blue cap leaped at Replex when he entered the hall. Instinctively, he pulled out his sword and sliced it into two, watching as it disappeared into a burst of magic sparkles.

"What the... That didn't happen with the Spore," Replex said, slightly freaked out.

"These monsters are made from magic, but they are as strong as the original. Those are Blue Mushrooms, by the way," Weniry explained. "Master Grendel told me about how he helped to enchant monster dolls for training for most of the towns."

"I see. I never used the training halls in Perion though, I wasn't allowed to," replied Replex, pulling his shield out, grinning. "Let's do this, Weniry!" He yelled before charging forward at a group of Blue Mushrooms and cleaving them apart all at once with a charged sword. He panted slightly after using it.

"Damn, can't really use this skill that I've learnt too often... It would drain my stamina too quickly. Here we go again, Slash Blast!" With a powerful swing, Replex cleared out around 5 or so Blue Mushrooms, closing his eyes as they squealed before disappearing.

Weniry stood at the back, her book floating in front of her as she concentrated on casting a magic spell. A magic circle appeared below her as she focused her magic flow onto the edge of her staff.

_I really have Derelia to thank for showing me ice and lightning magic. Now I know how it works, roughly,_ Weniry, spinning her staff in the air before pointing it at a group of mushrooms that slipped past Replex and were now heading straight for her.

"Cold Beam!" she screamed out. Blue energy shot out immediately from her staff and formed several ice shards in the air. The ice shards floated in the air for a second, before crashing into the Blue Mushrooms, piercing and stabbing them. Weniry gave a satisfied smile as they turned back into sparkles. "That looked different when Derelia used it though... To each magician her own, perhaps?"

Meanwhile, outside of the training hall on a tall tree that overlooked each of the training halls, Leo sat on one of the branches, munching on an apple with his bow by his side. His gaze fell on Hall 5 as he observed Replex and Weniry training on the Blue Mushrooms. His sharp eyes saw the sweat dripping on the sides of Replex's face and the amount of energy and concentration exerted by Weniry with each spell cast. All the tiny details, he saw them all. He leaned back on the tree, plucking a small leaf from above him and blowing a soft tune on it.

"Perhaps those two are worth travelling with after all," he whispered, as a soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

* * *

><p>As the sun starting setting, Replex and Weniry tumbled out of Hall 5, exhausted.<p>

"D-Did we overwork ourselves a bit too much?" Replex asked. His pouch was no longer filled with any of the potions they had previously. His steps were becoming unsteady as he began to stagger.

"M-Maybe... Let's just return to the inn and get some food and rest. I-I'm sure we'll feel better tomorrow morning," Weniry advised, her glasses slightly askew. Her fingers trembled as she adjusted them properly. With heavy feet, the two teenagers made their way back to the inn and ordered their dinner. Replex took a gulp of his drink, feeling refreshed.

"Aah! Nothing like a good meal after training!" He said as his smile returned to his face. Weniry however, was still slightly tired even after eating.

"Let's see here... Today I worked on Power Strike and Slash Blast... Perhaps I should try this thing Master Dances with Balrog taught me last time, called 'Sword Booster'," Replex muttered to himself as he recalled what he had done earlier during the training.

"I think your evasive and defensive maneuvers have gotten better as well, Replex. Which reminds me, what were those things you attached to your shield that made it return to you when you tossed it at the Blue Mushrooms?" Weniry asked. Replex chuckled.

"It's a little invention by Karamel. He called it the Boomerang Support. It's like a mini-attachment for the shield. That way I won't have to keep chasing after it if I toss it too much, it is a really good blunt weapon. You know, in case I couldn't swing my sword fast enough," explained Replex, taking another sip of his drink.

"That's pretty innovative. For me... I guess I finally picked up Cold Beam and Fire Arrow properly, though I still haven't really gotten a good grasp over ice and fire. Oh, I almost got Magic Guard working too. I think I'll work more on those tomorrow as well," Weniry stated. Her eyelids started getting heavier as she let out a huge yawn, covering her mouth in the process. "Oh, excuse me."

Replex chuckled, letting out a yawn of his own. "Seems like we both should be getting some sleep," he said, getting up from the table. Weniry smiled, and stacked the dishes up in an orderly manner, before following Replex up to the next floor of the inn. After greeting each other "Good night", the duo proceeded into their rooms. They had barely taken more than a few steps after reaching the bed before they collapsed onto it, already dead asleep.

Leo sat in his room at the small mushroom house that he shared with another archer. He sat on his bed with his lamp on, adjusting the string on his bow as his roommate snored loudly. He glanced out of the window, looking at the crescent moon that was shining through his window and onto the floor.

His mind wandered to Replex and Weniry again, and he shook his head. "I should get some sleep. I have training tomorrow morning after all." Leo leaned his bow up against the wall, next to his quiver of arrows before pulling the covers over him and falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Over the course of a week, Leo has been observing the duo in their constant training. The money they got from assisting in the capture of the robbers was a rather huge sum, and this funded their potions. On another fine day, he sat up in the same tree overlooking Hall 5, lazing on it as he observed the duo again.<p>

"I see you seem to have taken a rather strong interest in the two teens, Leo," Athena remarked from above him. Leo looked up and saw her sitting on the branch above him. She gave a small wave as Leo frowned.

"Please tell me you are at least wearing shorts underneath that... revealing... 'skirt'... of yours, Mistress Athena," Leo said, turning away with a crimson blush on his face. Athena smiled and leaped off the branch lightly, landing on the one he was sitting on.

"Well, they seem to have improved quite a bit, don't you think?" Athena asked, ignoring Leo's previous question. Leo said nothing, watching as Replex slashed at a group of Blue Mushrooms.

"Mistress Athena, would you please assist me in a small favor?" Leo asked, turning to Athena.

"What is it Leo?"

"I... would like to have a small spar with the two of them."

"Are you sure you want to face both of them at the same time by yourself?"

"Yes. It'll be fine. I would like you to be the referee."

"But Leo, even by yourself it's still-"

"I'll be fine, Mistress Athena," Leo said firmly, getting up. "I'll return to my training now... I'll inform them of the sparring session this evening. Will it be alright to hold it in two days' time?"

"Very well, but two days' time, Leo?"

"I just don't want to fight tired opponents. It's boring." With that, Leo leapt off the tree and went to one of the halls to train privately. Athena sighed, shaking her head.

"That silly boy. He could have just said that he wanted them to be well-rested so as to have a good match. Seriously, what will I ever do with him and his mouth?" Athena got up and jumped off the branch, landing on the ground softly with the grass rustling under her shoes. She then took a long stroll through Henesys before returning to her house to write a letter to Dances with Balrog and Grendel.

_I should at least inform them of their student_s _and how they are progressing currently. But still... I wonder what is that man is up to when he suggested this. I'll never understand that mysterious man, he appeared just like the wind, ten years ago... _she thought to herself as she entered her house, smiling.

Later on that day, Weniry and Replex stopped their training slightly earlier. Both of them chatted as they made their way back to the inn.

"Alright, I think I got Slash Blast down! Sword Booster seems good to go as well!" Replex cheered as he pumped his fist into the air, which flopped to his side shortly after. "Damn, I'm really tired." Weniry laughed at his sudden drop in energy.

"I believe I have Fire Arrow mastered as well, along with Magic Guard. I'm still having problems with Cold Beam though," Weniry looked to the side, slightly ashamed that she was not progressing as fast as Replex. Replex's gloved hand patted her hard on the back.

"Cheer up, Weniry. It just means you need more training! Come on, let's grab a bite!"

Weniry's stomach growled as Replex said that, making the both of them laugh. As they sat down after ordering their food at the inn, Leo strolled in and took a seat in front of them.

"Seems like you two are having fun," he remarked casually.

"Maybe. But only to prove to you that we aren't burdens," Replex snapped back.

"Snappy. I have a little offer for you. In two days' time, we'll have a little sparring match in the morning. Two of you against me. If you win, I'll follow along with you two. If you lose, I get to make even more fun of you." Leo leaned back on his chair, a smug smirk on his face. "What will it be?"

Replex looked at Weniry, who nodded. "We accept. But why two days?" Replex asked.

"I'm giving you guys some time to rest. It's no fun fighting tired opponents."

"Why you!" Replex got up from his chair, provoked, and tried to grab Leo. Leo moved out of his reach as Weniry grabbed Replex from behind and tried to get him to sit down.

"Missed me. See you in two days, then. Better be prepared, I won't go that easy on you," Leo said, before getting up to leave. Replex sat down in a huff, sore that Leo got the last word.

"Damn arrogant bowman..." Weniry sighed, petting Replex on the back.

"Let's get some rest. We can do some training in between the period of rest, or would you prefer to have some fun instead?"

"I'll probably do some personal exercises on my own Weniry, for the next two days."

"Very well, just don't tire yourself out," cautioned Weniry, getting up. "Alright, I better grab a shower. Good night, Replex."

"Good night." Replex got up as well, going to his own room. He took a sniff at his clothes. "Boy, do I stink of sweat today... A night shower can't hurt. Alright, tomorrow, get up at dawn to do some morning jogging..."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Replex got up before the sun was up. He tied his hair up into a high ponytail instead of his usual low one, grabbing a towel and placing it around his neck as he rolled up his sleeves. Quietly, he left the inn and took a brisk jog through Henesys.<p>

It was still early, and the air smelt fresh and clear. Morning dew dangled from the edge of leaves on the bushes. Replex tuned his senses, trying to take in as much as he could with his ears only.

A sudden whistling sound reached his ears, before ending with a hard "thud". He turned and looked down from the hill he had jogged up to. He saw a figure nock another arrow onto a bow, before letting it fly and hitting a target quite a distance away. Replex squinted his eyes to try and get a good view of the person, for the he was quite a distance away.

"You could come down to watch, you know," Leo's voice reached his ears. Replex was slightly surprised that Leo knew he was there, but walked down the hill as he wiped the sweat off his face. As he got closer, he could make out Leo's face and his bow. Leo turned to him, looking at him. "I could hear your footsteps," he said.

"Practicing as well, I see?" asked Replex. Leo nodded as he nock another arrow, focusing. He pulled back hard on the bowstring, his muscles tightening as he felt the energy rushing through his arm and into the arrow. "Arrow Blow," he said calmly before letting the arrow loose, watching as it was covered in a pale bluish-white energy. Replex was amazed when the arrow struck the target and blew it clear off its stand.

"That is but a mere preview of what you'll be getting tomorrow," Leo stated, taking another arrow. Replex folded his arms smugly.

"Just you wait and see, you jerk, I'm stronger than before now, I'm not as weak as I was when I fought Hakru," Replex said. He turned and went back to jogging, a determined look on his face.

Leo waited till Replex was quite a distance away before smirking. "It's been awhile since I felt this excited for a match. I can't let my guard down this time, it seems," he muttered, grabbing his bow tightly, his body trembling in excitement as he grinned. A playful look danced in his sapphire eyes. "Perhaps this time it'll actually be a challenge."

Replex jogged around Henesys for a few more rounds, before reducing his pace to a stroll, then walking. As he approached a bench, he sat down on it to catch his breath. "Man, I'm a little thirsty... Should have brought a bottle with me," he complained lowly, wiping his sweat off. A water bottle was then held in front of his face, and he took it, sipping the water slowly. He turned to whoever it was beside him to offer his thanks, but nearly got a shock when he saw it was Athena.

"M-Mistress Athena!" He exclaimed, surprised. Athena smiled at him.

"Training hard, aren't you?" she asked as she let out a soft giggle. Replex blushed as he nodded in response.

"I'm sure Leo must have portrayed himself as arrogant, didn't he?"

"Sure did, giving me a 'preview'..." grumbled Replex.

"He hasn't felt such excitement in a long while. He's training himself harder than ever now," Athena said, leaning on the bench and staring at the sky.

"Huh? Isn't he so confident that he'll beat us?" Replex replied, slightly confused.

"Like I mentioned before, Leo has an eye for potential. He probably can't wait to have his little duel with you two. He knows that you're stronger now, and he acknowledges that by training hard too," explained Athena. Replex smirked, pressing his fist into the palm of his other hand.

"Well, I'll beat the arrogance out of him, then! I'll show him potential!" he declared, getting up and putting the bottle down. "Thanks for the water, Mistress Athena." Athena smiled and took it back, cleaning the cap with a piece of cloth. Replex then dashed off, lifting his legs high as he does so.

Athena sighed, getting up and returning to her office. A smile appeared on her face as she walked past where Leo was still training.

"I'll have to reveal something to Leo after the match tomorrow. Leo, you're not a..." Athena's words faded in her throat. She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, returning to her office to prepare her briefing to the trainee archers. The match was tomorrow. Silently, she prayed that neither of the teenagers would get hurt severely, and that things will somehow work out.

* * *

><p>AN: Not a very long chapter, just the description of the training and some events leading to the match. Till the next update, stay sharp~


	9. Replex and Weniry vs Leo

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine. Rawr.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Chapter 9: Replex and Weniry vs Leo

* * *

><p>Replex went back to the inn after his morning jog, and spotted Weniry at the table eating. She was holding her large book, leaning it against the edge of the table, holding her plate of pancakes in one hand and a fork in the other. Using her magic she flipped through the pages of the book. There was another plate of pancakes sitting on the table.<p>

"It's for you, Replex. I knew you would be coming around this time for breakfast, so I ordered your share as well," Weniry said without glancing up from her book. Replex wiped the remaining sweat off his face, sitting down and taking a breather. "You know, the match's tomorrow. Won't you be tired if you work out today?" asked Weniry.

"Nah, not for me. Maybe just a little, but I really can't stand to sit around and relax. I have to move around or I'll get rather uncomfortable," explained Replex, flipping the fork into the air and grabbing it, before stabbing the pancake with it. Hungrily, he dug into his meal. Weniry watched him, having finished her own meal and was now sipping the orange juice she ordered for herself earlier. She glanced at several of the new spells she could learn, smiling as she studied the theory behind the magic itself. Replex finished his meal, leaning on his chair. "Man, what do we do for the rest of the day?" Weniry thought about it, leaning onto the table.

"How about we discuss some strategies for our match with Leo?"

"Awwww man!" Replex cried out, holding his forehead. "I hate strategy thinking... But Karamel bro always say that in team fights, strategies with your partner is always important, so I guess I'll have to do it... Please make it simple," Replex whined, slumping onto the table. Weniry pulled out a sheet of paper, and a pencil.

"I will. We don't really know Leo's fighting style, so I guess we can decide on how we want our strategy to be."

"This is going to be a long, long session..." groaned Replex, holding his face. Reluctantly, he still listened to Weniry, giving a large sigh.

As they were discussing their strategies, Leo was sitting in his room after his morning training, fingers crossed as he rested his elbows on his kneecaps, thinking about something. He ran his hand through his hair, playing with the ends of his hair unconsciously. "Can this day go any slower? Damn, I'm too excited to sit still. I'll go train the younger bowmen or something," he said, holding his bow in his left hand and going out. "Maybe I'll be nice and not be so harsh on the trainees today." That day, all the trainees got a shock of their life when their trainer Leo was unusually soft on their training.

Later that night, Replex returned to his room after discussing with Weniry their plan for tomorrow. "So... Makes some feints here and there to distract Leo while she nails him with magic? That sounds needlessly complicated. Maybe I'll add in something of my own." Replex went to his bed as usual, and his mind strayed to Karamel, as he wondered how his brother was doing. "Karamel... You better not leave me lagging behind, you silly nerd..." Replex jokingly said, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"ACHOO!" sneezed a certain purple-hair teenager. Draped over his shoulders was a brown cloak, at his waist a shiny rapier with a purple blade.<p>

"Are you alright, Karamel?" a concerned voice asked, and the teenager turned around.

"I'm fine, Master Dances with Balrog. It's probably Replex cursing me not to leave him behind in terms of progress. Are you sure it's alright for me to leave without at least sending him a letter?" Karamel asked, an uncertain look in his eyes. Dances with Balrog patted him on the shoulder, straightening Karamel.

"It'll be fine. You'll survive the outside continents, Karamel. But remember, you have to keep yourself safe or Replex will be upset. I've taught you the basic skills for a rapier, so you will be fine."

Karamel gave a firm nod as he held a doll in his hand. He placed it into his pouch carefully, before running off. "Thank you, Master! I'll definitely write back about my travels!" yelled Karamel. _To pursue knowledge and some day find out all there is to discover... I'll make my dream come true somehow and find my own path. Replex, you better not die out there before me, _Karamel thought to himself as he proceeded to Ellinia. Dances with Balrog waved at him.

_Actually, you don't really need to, but it will be entertaining to see the world from your perspective..._ Dances with Balrog thought to himself. He smiled. _Perion's going to be awfully quiet now, both the loud and quiet ones are gone_, Dances with Balrog said in his head. He then proceeded back out to the wild areas of Perion, spinning a blue sword in his hand. "Time to go hunting for some more boar meat. Demand's getting high over in Kerning City."

Karamel smiled as he took a stroll through down the mountain and reached Ellinia at dusk. He asked around for directions to the station, Sixtopia. "Thank Minerva that the ships are operational around the clock. Thank Master that he gave me money to pay for the air ticket as well," laughed Karamel, as he took out a sack of mesos to pay for his ticket, before boarding the ship. It was powered by a sort of magic stone that gave it the ability to levitate in the air, and the ship was powered by the powerful air blasts from the engine jets at its sides. The sail was large and tall, made of a tough material. There was even a small standing place at the front of the ship to observe the scenery. There was also a small observation area at the bottom of the ship, which was connected to the cabin. It was a cool evening, and Karamel leaned over the sides of the ship a little as it took off into the skies, streaking through the clouds. He was currently the only passenger outside the cabin as the rest of the passengers went inside the cabin to sleep, for the journey to Orbis would be quite long, the very most three days? He grinned, holding his hand out to feel the breeze. His purple eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.

"To the rest of the Maple World!"

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><p>Replex woke up drowsily the next day, stretching and reaching for his glasses. He turned to the clock and it showed 8 o'clock. He did a few warm-up exercises and slipped his sword and shield onto his back, and grabbed his pouch. As he walked out of his room, he bumped into Weniry, who was already prepared. Both teenagers nodded at each, proceeding down the staircase to the first floor of the inn to pay for the number of days they had spent there. Out of the corner of his eye, Replex saw Leo waiting for them at the door, with his bow in his hand. Leo gestured to the both of them, beckoning them to follow him somewhere. There was a really cocky smirk on Leo's face, and Replex walked up to him. Weniry crossed her fingers in hope that Replex would not get into another fight before the actual match.<p>

"Morning," greeted Replex, with a wide grin on his face. A soft snort was heard from Leo, and he even smiled for a little.

"Morning. Let's get going, I just can't wait any longer. It's because of you two I ended up sleeping at 1am this morning," Leo said, turning and leaving the inn. Replex and Weniry walked after him. Well, Replex could not restrain his laughter at Leo sleeping at 1am and nearly burst out laughing. He found it so funny that people can stay up just because they were excited over a match, especially since Leo called them "a burden" a whole week or so earlier.'

"Replex," Weniry said sternly. Replex scratched the back of his head, a childish grin on his face.

"Oh chill, Weniry. I just think it's funny, that's all," replied Replex.

"I will never understand your sense of humor, Replex," sighed Weniry. Replex grinned even more, but his face turned serious again as the trio approached a wide plain of grass near the outskirts of the city. It was a large area, empty except for the grass and a few trees. Weniry looked at Replex. His red eyes were narrowed and focused, as if ready for a death match. It sent chills down Weniry's spine to see the normally cheerful and playful warrior like this.

Athena was waiting there with her own bow. She cast a worried glance at Leo. Leo waved her off with his hand, an indication of saying that he would be alright. Athena gave a sad sigh. She knew how stubborn Leo could be sometimes.

"This match will run till either side gives in. No cheating, you three," warned Athena. Replex slid his shield onto his arm and gripped his sword tightly, while Weniry placed her precious book next to Athena, taking only her Rubian Staff. Leo adjusted his quiver, letting it hang low around his waist level instead of behind his back. Athena raised her hand before bringing it down in a chopping motion.

"Begin!"

Replex immediately dashed forward and dealt a horizontal slice at Leo. Leo leapt back with ease, flipping into the air and aiming an arrow at Replex. "Arrow Blow," he muttered, before releasing the arrow. The arrowhead was engulfed in a blue-white wave of energy, and struck against Replex's shield when he raised it to defend against it. Replex let out a soft grunt as the impact of the arrow knocked him back a little, but he managed to stand his ground. He continued to press close to Leo, which made Leo rather annoyed as he tried to keep his distance as much as possible.

"Why the hell are you sticking to me like a parasite?" Leo questioned. He was just too curious for his own good.

"Oh, me? I'm just a distraction!" Replex laughed, immediately ducking to the side quickly as ice fragments flew down to Leo's legs and began accumulating, freezing his lower limbs. Leo winced slightly as the cold bit into his nerves. Quickly, he slammed the edge of his bow against the ice in an attempt to chip it off.

"Replex, hurry! My control over ice isn't that strong yet!" Weniry yelled at Replex. Replex charged at Leo, about to bring the blunt side of his blade down on him when he was suddenly knocked back by a powerful swing from Leo's bow.

"Ouch! What the hell...?" Replex cursed, rubbing his chin where the bow had nicked him. Leo gave a smirk, finally breaking out of the ice and shaking his legs a bit to get the feel back in them.

"Ack!" winced Weniry as her magic spell was broken. "I'm sorry Replex, I can't hold down the ice magic for too long!"

"No problem," assured Replex, turning back to face Leo, who was massaging his legs on the ground for a minute before he stood up again.

"Power Knockback," he said simply. Replex growled lowly, throwing his shield at Leo. Leo ducked and turned his head around for a minute, before turning back. "Did you really just throw your line of defense away?" Leo asked. Replex grinned, while Weniry slapped her forehead and casted several Energy Bolts at Leo, sending them at him from different directions. Leo stood there for a minute, waiting for them to home in on his position before leaping into the air and letting the blue spheres of magic strike the ground and explode into nothing. Leo grabbed two arrows from his quiver quickly, aiming them at Weniry.

"Double Shot!" He yelled as he released the two arrows at the same time, a wave of red energy covering their arrow heads and striking Weniry hard in the arms, leaving some bruises. Weniry gave a loud yelp of pain as she held her arms, but still smiled at Replex, who turned his head back in concern.

"I'll be fine. Magic Guard protected me," assured Weniry. Leo landed onto the ground, blue swirls surrounding his arms as he muttered "Bow Booster". Swiftly, he grabbed arrow after arrow and fired them one by one at Replex. Replex made a face as he tried to focus, energy rushing into his arm, the same blue swirls of energy around his sword arm. He opened his eyes as he deflected the arrows with his sword, swinging his sword in a way that the arrows would be knocked back to the ground.

"Nice speed," Leo praised, his bow drawn with an arrow ready and pointing at Replex's chest. Replex was taken aback. _W-When did he get in front of me,_ he wondered. "But even with the speed, if you keep your eyes off your enemy for even one second, you'll still lose." Replex closed his eyes, smirking.

"You're guilty of the same thing you know? Like I said before, I'm a distraction," Replex said.

"What are you- Argh!" A piece of metal collided into the back of Leo's head with a loud "Clang", making him fall unconscious. Replex grabbed the shield before it flew over his head. On it were the Boomerang Support clips that Karamel gave to Replex, and Replex took them off and kept them into his pocket.

"When did you slip the supports on?" Weniry asked as she approached Leo to heal the bruise on his head. "I didn't even see you putting them on!" Replex smiled mysteriously, sitting down on the ground.

"Is Leo alright? The shield is made of metal after all," Replex asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Weniry frowned as Replex dodged her question. Athena ran over and examined Leo's head a little.

"He'll be dizzy, but I don't think there's any permanent brain damage," Athena said. "If only we could wake him up now..."

Weniry thought for a minute, and her face brightened up when she thought of an idea. Slowly, she created a medium size ice piece, followed by using her fire magic when the ice piece was right over Leo's face to melt it. A whole lot of water fell onto Leo's face, making him splutter and forcing him awake. His hair, now drenched, fell over his face and covered his eyes.

"Buwaah! Gulrg- bu-peh!" spluttered Leo as he choked on the water. Replex fell onto his back holding his stomach, roaring with laughter at Leo's expression. Weniry turned away, her body shaking as she tried to restrain her laughter. Leo looked around for a second while brushing his hair aside and noticed the laughing warrior. Filled with embarrassment, he got up and tackled Replex hard, ramming him further into the ground.

"Why you!" Leo yelled. Replex was frightened by the bowman for a second, but noticed that Leo was trying hard not to smile in his direction as the corners of his mouth were twitching. This just made Replex laughed even more till tears rolled down his cheeks.

"You suck at trying to hide your laughter!" exclaimed Replex in between his laughs.

"Definitely no brain damage," laughed Athena.

Leo sighed, standing up and brushing the dirt off his body, his face red like a Ribbon Pig's red ribbon. "It would appear that I have lost to the both of you by losing consciousness. Go ahead, gloat at me," Leo said, shrugging his shoulders as he waited for Replex's gloating to come. What he did not expect was for a hard punch across his face that sent him staggering.

"Just what the heck was that for!" he yelled at Replex, holding his cheek in pain as he regained his balance.

"Why the hell did you ask me to gloat you for! This wasn't even a fair match in the first place you big dummy!" Replex answered, folding his arms, sheathing his sword and putting his shield behind his back. "In matches like this, there aren't any losers, there are only winners, 'cause we learn from each other. Only in death matches are there losers; one loses his life, the other loses his humanity and becomes a cold-blooded murderer..."

Leo's eyes went wide, before closing them in a smile. Athena could not believe her eyes. For the longest time, she had never seen a true smile come onto Leo's face. "So you're saying we're both winners, eh? Heh, you really are an interesting fella and definitely weirder than most people... I'll definitely have a good laugh if I join your crew."

"W-What! I dare you to say that to my face you fat jerk! Come here, I'm going to slug you hard!" Replex screamed, running at the older boy. Leo laughed, turning on his heels and speeding away.

"You've gotta catch me first!" he laughed, dashing off at full speed carrying his bow, while Replex still continued to chase after him. Athena and Weniry sighed as they watched the two boys run around in circles.

"It's the first time in years I've seen him this happy," whispered Athena. Weniry smiled.

"I wondered where Replex heard that line from though," Weniry asked.

"He probably heard it from Dances with Balrog. Dances with Balrog used to say that all the time to Jin whenever they sparred."

"Jin? As in, Master Dark Lord Jin?"

"Yes, the leader of Kerning. You three should head over there next." Athena got up, looking at Leo's direction. "Leo, come over here, I have something to tell you." Leo halted in his tracks, resulting in Replex crashing into his back and both boys falling forward into one crumpled heap.

"Get off me, you're really heavy!" Leo complained, receiving a light smack from Replex.

"It's muscle, darn it! The sword and shield ain't that light either!" Replex replied, getting off him and pulling Leo up and walking to Athena. Athena breathed in deeply, closing her eyes.

"Leo, there's something I've been keeping from you. Do you know why your senses are keener than any of the other bowmen?" Athena asked. Leo scratched his chin, thinking.

"Not really. I thought it was because of all my training, is that not right, Mistress Athena?"

"Not really," she replied, reaching her hands out and brushing Leo's hair away from the sides of his head. It revealed long pointed ears that were cleverly covered by his long hair.

"W-What the? How is that possible?" Replex stammered. "No way could his hair have hidden those long ears!"

"With some clever arrangement and a bit of magic, it is," explained Athena. "You are an Elf, Leo, just like me. Elves are naturally born with better reflexes than humans, with keener senses than most."

Leo was flabbergasted, his mouth was wide open. "H-How...?" Athena placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling.

"But this doesn't make you any different from the others. Remember to be who you are, Leo, being an Elf doesn't make you more special. Perhaps the extra years of life do, though," Athena joked.

Replex placed his hands behind his head casually, grinning. "Hey, does this mean that Leo never looks himself in the mirror or clean behind his ears at all? Ew~"

"Replex Cosmos!" bellowed Leo as he charged at the teen. Replex burst out laughing and ran for his life, running back into Henesys to get away from the currently enraged bowman. Athena sighed, while Weniry giggled.

"But seriously though, how could he have not noticed?" Weniry asked as she and Athena took a stroll back to Henesys.

"I had Grendel apply some strong illusion magic on him, so that he wouldn't find out. I didn't want the other bowmen to find out either," replied Athena. "Well, it's time to prepare him and you two for the journey through the L Forest en route to Kerning City."

"Yes, Mistress Athena."

"..."

"COSMOS! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" a loud bellow could be heard from Henesys.

"No damn way!"

"... Boys," said Weniry and Athena, placing their palm on their foreheads as they shook their heads.

* * *

><p>Several hours later after Weniry and Athena had saved a choking Replex from a furious Leo, the trio was sent off by Athena at the West exit of Henesys. Before they left, Leo saluted Athena and bowed, thanking her for taking care of him. Athena smiled as the trio went off further into the distance, until she could see nothing but the mere shadows of their backs. Running footsteps were heard behind her, and she turned on her heel swiftly to see several of her bowmen, specifically the ones from Leo's patrol group.<p>

"May I help you, boys?" she asked.

"S-Sir Leo! W-Where is he?" asked the panting bowmen as they gasped for air.

"He just left a few minutes ago, why?"

"C-Crap! We wanted to send him off too, Mistress Athena! Come on fellows, if we run, we may still catch him!" The group of bowmen dashed past Athena. Athena smiled softly at her bowmen's reaction.

"Are you sure you don't wanna say goodbye to your team, Leo?" asked Replex as they walked further and further away from Henesys. Leo shook his head.

"There's no point. The only reason my team followed and listened to me was because I was their leader, nothing more," Leo replied. Sadness could be seen in Leo's blue eyes.

"Sir Leo!" called a chorus of voices from behind the trio. Leo's eyes snapped open from its half-closed position, and he slowly turned his head around, not wanting to believe who was behind him. Behind him, were several members of his patrol team.

"W-Why are you fools here for?" he stuttered, surprised.

"We wanted to thank you! For all the times you had spent with us! We're sorry for mocking you during the robbery cases!" yelled the group. Leo scrunched up his face and turned away, his body shaking.

"Y-You idiots! Why the hell are you standing around here for! If you have so much time, go back and patrol the town, dammit! You better make sure it's safe till I come back, or you'll all have to do laps!" Leo ordered. The group of bowmen raised their hands in salute.

"Sir, yes sir! We'll be waiting for you to return, Sir Leo!" The sounds of running footsteps faded in Leo's ears as the bowmen returned to Henesys to carry out their orders. Weniry and Replex glanced at each other, before turning their gaze to the Elf Bowman. He placed his arm against the tree and leaned his head on it, his body shaking as soft sniffing sounds could be heard. For the first time in a long while, Leo was moved by his own group and felt tears leaving his eyes.

"Those idiots... They needn't do this for me... Those idiots... I never really deserved it..." he repeated slowly and softly to himself as he tried to hold back his tears.

Replex grabbed Leo by the shoulder and pulled him away from the tree, patting on his shoulder gently. "Come on," he said with a grin. "Wipe those tears off! At least you have a group you can be proud off! Let's go on our little adventure with a bright smile, yeah?" Leo blinked, and smiled, wiping the tears with the back of his leather gloved hand.

"Yeah, why not?" he replied. Weniry laughed as well, following after the two boys.

Unknown to them, Athena had followed them a little distance and saw the entire thing. She closed her eyes and smiled. _It seems like Leo has gained a bit of respect from the bowmen. Leo, do you still think you can't trust anyone anymore? You have those two, you still have one more person you have yet to meet. Leo, I believe you'll never be lonely again, even if you return to Henesys when your group goes separate ways. There are people waiting for you,_ Athena thought, walking back into Henesys.

"Mistress Athena said we could get Kerning City via L Forest, which is slightly North-West of here," informed Weniry.

"Okay then, let's get going! We may have to camp out tonight though~" cheered Replex, grinning.

Leo watched as Replex and Weniry start bickering about sleeping in the outdoors. "This would be a bit of a troublesome group. Why do I feel like a big brother already?" whispered Leo to himself. Nevertheless, he spun his Rubian Bow with his hand, and followed after his two 'juniors'.

"This will definitely be an interesting trip."

* * *

><p>AN: Yay another short fight scene! Hooray for arguments between the comedy duo. *coughReplexLeocough*


	10. The White Thief

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

WildOrion: I always wonder why they don't have attacks for shields other than being there for extra defense. I always thought shields would make a really good throwing item... Teehee! As for Karamel's adventures... I may do a separate story on that... Who know

Chapter 10: The White Thief

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><p>"Gah! We're finally out!" exclaimed Replex, walking out of L Forest.<p>

"The only reason why we were stuck in there for five whole days was because SOMEBODY decided to be 'smart' and took a wrong turn. As a result we ended up in a corner and being attacked! On top of that we got lost!" snarled Leo. Replex frowned.

"Oh fine, so my gut instinct was wrong! We're out of there and that's all that matters, yeah?" Replex said cheekily. Leo smacked Replex upside the head, to which Replex retaliated with a punch of his own.

Weniry sighed as the two boys started arguing. They had just gotten out of L Forest. It was not as dense as her home, Ellina forest, but a rather confusing one with different paths. They ended up taking a wrong turn and getting ambushed by a bunch of monkeys that threw bananas at them. _It was lucky that Leo chased off the Lupins with his arrows, or our supplies would have been stolen_, Weniry thought. While they had lost some valuable time, what they did managed to get was some extra mesos and bunches of bananas which was safe for consumption. Furthermore, they were also lucky they ran across several springs and found smalls sources of water inside the forest. Weniry thanked their lucky stars they managed to get through without a lot of trouble, other than the constant verbal fights between Replex and Leo, which turned physical most of the time.

"Stop arguing, the both of you," chided Weniry. "We're all alive now, that's all that matters. Kerning City is just up ahead."

"I never thought a short journey like this would take so long for a small floating island like Victoria," commented Replex, breaking free from Leo and walking ahead.

"And how would you know, Replex?" asked Leo in a sarcastic tone.

"Master Dances with Balrog often told Karamel and me stories of other continents that were way bigger than Victoria. While some of them were interesting, some of them sent me to sleep," replied Replex. Weniry shook her head, smiling.

As the trio approached the outer parts of Kerning, they saw a construction site. "Kerning City is a town that focuses on industrialization. Unfortunately, there were quite a few projects by builders that didn't work out, and these construction sites were left abandoned. The more successful buildings were concentrated into what we know as Kerning City today. However, monsters have begun breeding in these abandon sites. Master Grendel said that the previous Dark Lords found no problem with the abandoned sites as they provided ample training grounds for the thieves, as their forte is flexibility and speed after all."

"Wow... The buildings here in the outskirts look really old though," Replex said, punching one of the buildings. Suddenly, an adult pushed the three out of the way as the several large pieces of concrete from the building fell. Had Replex and crew stayed there a moment more, the bricks would have landed hard on their heads.

"You young 'uns alright there?" said the adult in a gruff voice. A safety helmet covered his hair and shadowed his face, revealing only a bit of stubble on his chin. He wore a sleeveless shirt, and the gloves he wore were worn and dirty. His dark red pants were tucked into the yellow rubber boots he wore and he carried with him a pickaxe.

"Are you a construction worker? Yes, we're fine," asked Leo. The construction worker nodded, turning to Replex.

"Yup, I'm one of 'em. I stay around here ta make sure no one gets hurt from da occasional fallin' bricks. You shouldn't go around touching these old buildings, they're fragile and sensitive," he warned. Replex looked down to the ground slightly. "We keep them here only 'cause they have a bit of historical meaning to 'em."

"I see. Speaking of which sir, do you know where we may find an inn around here? It's getting dark," enquired Weniry. She could have sworn at that moment the construction worker grinned just a tad.

"Aye, you youngsters oughta find some place to sleep. You don't need to be out afta dark. See the sign that points towards the main city? Follow it and when you get to an intersection, turn to your left and follow the path." Weniry bowed her head in thanks, followed by Replex and Leo.

After they walked off along the path to where he had directed them, the construction worker sat down to munch on a sandwich. Under the shadow of his helmet, dark silver-ish eyes could be seen.

"So they've come. Let's see how they react to the little surprise there..."

* * *

><p>"I knew we shouldn't have trusted that old man," grumbled Leo as he observed the dead end they just walked into. "This is the third dead end we've seen and we still haven't found our way out."<p>

"Hahaha... Who knew this would be a maze of walls?" laughed Replex. Leo's ears pricked up and he quickly hushed Replex. He nocked an arrow onto his bow, turned around swiftly and shot it at a weird shadow on the wall. The shadow ducked away from the arrow and found itself in the middle of the path they just walked through.

"Impressive. You managed to detect me," a cold, calm voice said. A puff of smoke covered the spot where the shadow was and a petite size girl appeared from it. She had chestnut brown hair that curled slightly at its ends and dark green eyes. Around her neck was a red scarf and she wore a white jacket and white pants, completed with a grey inner shirt and black shoes. She adjusted her glasses slightly. "What are you people doing here? No idiot would be that stupid to walk into a maze."

"Well, if you would excuse us, Miss Snappy, we were misled here," hissed Leo in annoyance. "And what is a small little 10 year-old like you doing here? You're even shorter than Weniry!"

"T-Ten! For your information I'm fifteen mind you!" yelled the girl in embarrassment. "What a bother..." she muttered, twirling a small kunai-looking object in her hand.

"Excuse me for asking... But are you a Thief who has progressed to the path of Assassin?" Weniry asked suddenly. The girl had a surprised look on her face.

"Yes, I am a thief," she replied. "How did you come to that conclusion, anyway?"

"I've read that Assassins in Kerning use throwing stars as their main weapons. I believe the one you are carrying is a pretty good set of stars, the Steely Throwing Star set, right?"

The girl said nothing, but turned her gaze down to her shoes, tapping her foot lightly against the ground. "Yes, correct. You have a good eye. However, you are incorrect on the Assassin part." Suddenly, several more of the Steelies were seen in her hand, and a large kunai-shaped dagger appeared in her other hand. Leo noticed a red shining gem embedded near the handle of the dagger and was slightly taken aback.

_Could that be a Rubian gem?_ he asked himself. The girl smiled wickedly. "Sorry, I can't really let you guys stay here and find out more about me, I'll never know if you're friend or foe. Guess I must silence you~," she said. Replex and Weniry pulled out their weapons, prepared for an attack.

"Are you crazy? You're outnumbered three to one, girlie," said Leo. The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I just need to distract you enough to get away," she replied. Bright red energy sparked at the tips of the Steely stars, and she tossed them at the trio in pairs. Replex pulled out his shield hastily, block them. Bright red sparks shot out when the stars struck the shield. Replex charged forward quickly, pulling his sword out.

"Don't pull your sword out here, idiot!" warned Leo, but he was a second too late as Replex had already begun to try to swing his sword. He heard a loud impact from his side, and saw that his blade had collided with the wall. "This dead end is too narrow for you to fully pull out your sword!" Leo yelled. Replex tried to retreat quickly, but the girl was too fast for him. Instantly, she got behind his shield and kicked him hard in the ribs. Replex coughed out saliva as he staggered back after losing his balance. She used him as a stepping stone and propelled herself into the air. She grabbed more Steelies from thin air and threw them at Leo and Weniry. Leo pushed Weniry away from him quickly and the stars flew right between them, barely missing them. Replex recovered from his pain, grabbing his sword again.

"If I can't hit you horizontally..." Replex leapt into the air, using the wall as a jumping platform, bringing his sword up behind him. "Then I'll have to try veritcally!" He cried out, doing a downward slash motion. The girl smirked and disappeared before the blade even struck a single strand of her hair. Replex landed, holding his sword out and looking around for the mysterious thief. He felt a sharp dagger poking his forehead and was astonished to see that that thief was standing on the edge of his blade, poking his forehead lightly with her dagger. There was not any extra weight felt on the sword, as if her weight was like that of a feather's.

"H-How...?" he murmured. The girl grinned cunningly, drawing her arm back.

A flying pickaxe came out of nowhere, and both Replex and the girl were forced to jump away from each other to avoid it. It crashed into the ground and cracked it, separating the trio from her. When they looked up, the trio recognized the construction worker from before. They heard a loud angry hissing from the girl, who glared fiercely at him, baring her teeth.

"You... You're trying to introduce me to friends again aren't you? I've told you many times, I'm an outcast, there's no one who will accept me as a friend for being who I am!" she screamed, before throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing. Replex and Weniry coughed for a few seconds, while Leo turned to the construction worker who leaped down to retrieve his pickaxe.

"Just who are you, old man? First you mislead us here, next you come in saving our rears." asked Leo. The construction worker smiled, and clapped his hands together, followed by being engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When he stepped out, his clothes changed. Clothed in black like a ninja, a golden plate adorned his head like a headpiece and held the black hat down, and a red scarf was tied around his neck and reached down to the ground. Bandages were wrapped around his wrists and ankles, which the sleeves of his clothing were tucked into. A small black mask covered half of his face, and thus only his eyes could be seen. He wore cloth shoes and there was a black cloth belt around his waist. Weniry gave a loud gasp as she recognized the man that stood before them.

"It's Dark Lord Jin!" she exclaimed. Jin's silver eyes looked at the trio.

"I'm sorry I had to put you through that. I thought she might actually accept you three. That troublesome girl," said Jin, shaking his head. Leo growled slightly at him, restraining himself from leaping at the man. Replex gave him a hard elbow in the gut, and that made Leo kneel down in pain as he held his stomach in pain.

"Who was that girl anyway, Master..." Replex rubbed his cheek with his finger cheekily as he forgot the name that Weniry yelled earlier.

"Jin."

"Yes, Master Jin. Who was she?" asked Replex. Jin scratched his chin.

"It's going to be a long story. Let's get the three of you to an inn first and then we'll talk."

"Are you going to trick us again?" joked Replex, receiving a punch in the back of his head from Leo.

"Don't be so rude!" scolded Leo. Jin chuckled lowly, leading them into Kerning City.

"They get along well, don't they?" Jin asked Weniry.

"Do you really think so?" replied Weniry as she watched the duo argue all the way into Kerning.

* * *

><p>The evening sight of Kerning City was stunning. The trio had never seen so many bright lights in one place. They spotted places like the Subway and for some reason, an open entrance to the sewers. There was also a hospital. The city consisted mainly of tall buildings with multi-storey houses. Replex could make out the shapes of construction cranes off in the distance, but they were too far away to be certain. Many citizens wandered around, and Weniry could see some of them were beginner thieves from the look of their clothing. Weniry gave a small cry as a boy with light green hair brushed shoulders with her and both of them fell down onto the bricked pavement.<p>

"Ack!" She said, rubbing her rear. Leo held onto her arm gently, assisting her in getting up as Weniry balanced the book and herself slowly.

"Sorry 'bout that," said the boy, who was grinning. Jin reached out and grabbed the collar of the boy's blue vest, and pulled him back before he could walk away.

"Return the money you stole from her, Ned," said Jin in a dangerous tone. Ned recoiled in fear, in his hands the money pouch that Weniry carried. Weniry quickly grabbed it back, holding it close to her. "I've warned you repeatedly never to steal money from other people. If you want to steal money, steal it from the monsters, Ned. Don't let me catch you doing it again." Ned adjusted his black shorts, nodding and running off mumbling under his breath.

"I'm sorry about that. Although I've reminded my thieves never to steal from other people, a small handful still tend to do it. Please keep your belongings close to yourself," advised Jin as he pushed open the doors to a small inn.

"Hoi, Dark Lord! Came here to drink today?" yelled the innkeeper.

"Not today. Need three rooms for the three youngsters. They may be staying here for awhile. Cheat them of their money and you'll know what will happen," replied Jin with a light, joking tone. The innkeeper laughed and tossed three sets of keys to him, which Jin handed over to the trio.

"You know I don't cheat my customers, Dark Lord!" said the innkeeper as he came over with a few cups of water. Replex looked at Jin as he sat down.

"You seem pretty friendly with the people here, Master Jin," commented Replex.

"I haven't been in this position for a very long time, so I ought to at least be nice and fair to my citizens. Let me introduce myself formally. I'm Dark Lord Jin of kerning City, I'm the instructor for all aspiring thieves, and also a master of disguise," said the Jin, as he took a sip of water through his mask. "I already know your names from your respective masters, so we'll go straight to business. I have a small request to ask of you three."

"A request?" said Replex, and Jin gave a nod of his head.

"The girl you saw just now is one of my personal best students, Hikari Hopeix. You're probably getting bored of this story, but like you, she's also a Rubian Mark holder who lost her memories. Her nickname is White Thief, from the fact that she wears white clothes most of the time."

"Huh, she sure is pretty snappy," remarked Leo.

"Speak for yourself, Leo, she reminds me so much of you I'm starting to wonder if you two are related," said Replex as he sniggered, ignoring the death glare that Leo was giving him. "Regardless, I thought most thieves wear dark clothing. You know, to blend in with the shadows and stuff?"

"True, that is the norm for most thieves. But Hikari insisted on wearing white, which drew rather... unpleasant responses from her fellow thieves as most thieves believe the darkness was the way for the thieves. All the friends she made eventually turned against her and made attempts to harm her either physically or mentally. She was never accepted as part of the thief community and was branded as an outcast. Truth be told, as rude and as cold as she may appear, Hikari has a very gentle heart that cares deeply for the people around her. But she is also an idiot and tends to be really gullible, falling for almost anything with that innocent heart of hers," Jin said as he maintained a straight face.

Weniry laughed uneasily. _He can easily insult and criticize his own student without an eyeblink..._ thought Weniry, taking a sip of water.

"Let me guess, you want us to befriend her, am I right?" asked Weniry.

"Yes. Hikari rarely speaks to anyone except the citizens, whom she gets along fairly well with, and me. Well, there is one more person, but I guess they are more of rivals or enemies. Remember the boy I scolded earlier? His name is Ned. He's the one who tends to tease Hikari the most. He's also one of the more influential thieves with his own gang. He does get his rear handed to him seventy percent of the time if he fights Hikari by himself though." Jin sat his cup down on the table. "Do you three have any questions for me?"

"Why do you ask us to do it?" asked Leo.

"Reason being because all of you have the Rubian Mark. I believe Hikari may be able to click in better if she feels that she has somewhere to turn to. Yes Weniry?" Jin turned his attention to the mage, who shyly raised her hand.

"I-I'd just like to double-confirm something Mistress Athena told me. She said that Master Dances with Balrog used to say this to you: In matches, there aren't any losers but winners, 'cause we learn from each other. Only in death matches are there losers; one loses his life, the other loses his humanity and becomes a cold-blooded murderer. Is it true?"

Jin had a rather dumbfounded look on his face. "Yes, he did. When I took up the position of Dark Lord, I was, you could say, arrogant. There are times Dances would say, "Fight as if your life depended on it" like in a death match. In the event when I lose, I would ask why would he not laugh or kill me when he said he wanted to. That was the reply he gave me. Athena and Grendel tend to watch our arguments such as to make sure we don't really end up killing each. It would be disastrous if even two leaders ended up on bad terms with each other, so we hold meetings regularly to firm up our ties with each other. Though that still doesn't prevent me and Dances for wanting to get at each other's neck." Jin folded his arms, leaning back on his chair. "Kerning City and Perion depend on each other a lot. Kerning provides Perion with purified water, while Perion provides Kerning City with the meat that is hard to find around here."

"I see. Master Dances with Balrog used to tell me that a lot, and that weapons should never be used to kill anything unless it's for survival or completely necessary..." Replex mumbled.

"That's just like him. He's always been like that. I won't disturb you kids anymore-"

"Kids!" yelled Leo, only to be silenced by Jin's glare.

"Compared to my age and status, you are kids to me. Feel free to stay here, but don't disturb the citizens unnecessarily or you'll have to answer to me as well. Kerning City is an information hub for street stories, so feel free to gather information if you wish," Jin informed, before going to the innkeeper and paying for the drinks he ordered, and leaving suddenly without leaving a trace in front of their eyes.

"Wow..." said Replex in awe.

"Oh, he always does that. He arrives and disappears like the wind, that Dark Lord. He arrived to take up the position of Dark Lord say... ten to fifteen years ago? I don't really recall but he's a fair leader and majority of us like him!" said the innkeeper in a jolly tone. "You three looked a bit exhausted though. Why not get some sleep?"

"I think we'll take you up on that offer," said Leo, letting out a yawn. The three proceeded up into their separate inn rooms, which was pretty much similar to the inn in Henesys. The trio then went about doing their separate things for the day, before turning in for bed.

ooo000oo

Even though it was night, Kerning City was still bright and bustling with all the lights. The lone thief from earlier, Hikari, walked along the streets. As she raised her head to look to the dark skies, she saw Ned.

"Ned..." she hissed."You're the last person I want to see right now."

"Well, look who we have here, if it ain't the outcast. How's it like eh, being alone?" taunted Ned. Hikari balled her hands into fist, slipping one hand into her pocket.

"Shut up, Ned."

"You know, if you actually wore dark clothing like the rest of us and join us in our ways, we would-"

"I don't need dark clothing to be a thief, Ned, it wasn't a requirement. I choose what I want to wear, and you can't change my mind about it, got it? You and your damn stereotyping."

"It makes our life easier to pillage stuff from people."

"That's just wrong. You know Master Jin forbids us from stealing from other people!" Hikari roared at Ned, her temper reaching its peak.

"Yeah yeah, you're just Master Jin's pet. Teacher's pet!" laughed Ned cruelly, escaping before Hikari could say another word. Hikari grit her teeth in anger, looking down at the pavement. Water droplets dotted the streets and Hikari look up. It started to rain in Kerning, and Hikari continued to walk before entering a bar. By the time she entered though, she was completely drenched. She took a peek inside the bar to check who was inside.

It was empty.

The bar was always empty save for a few thieves and the rare drunkards. She went to the toilet and looked at the toilet bowl, before using a gloved hand to grab the ceramic side and pushing it away. It revealed a hidden ladder, and she climbed down slowly.

When she descended, a small fighting ring was the first thing that entered her line of sight. The area was cluttered with papers and documents though. "Master Jin threw his papers all over the place again," she mumbled as she pulled off her wet gloves, picking up the papers piece by piece and putting them in a neat stack on a table nearby. There was a quill pen and ink bottle, it was a table used for signing documents.

"I did not," a deep voice whispered into her ears as a towel was draped over her wet hair. Hikari whirled around quickly, her dagger in her hand. A hand caught her wrist and she could not budge from the spot no matter how hard she tried. "It's not nice to accuse me behind my back, Hikari. And it's not nice to use your precious Rubian Dagger to harm others either," Jin said gently.

"... Yes, Master Jin," Hikari replied. She looked at him and looked up. "You're going to fall off the ceiling next morning again if you fall asleep upside down by accident."

"How many times have I done it?"

"Three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-four times and counting."

"Have I ever stopped?"

"No."

"Then why bother telling me?" Jin said, grinning behind his mask as he watched his student struggle to find a reply.

"You know, I really hate it when you give me questions like that," groaned Hikari, trying to pry Jin's strong grip off her wrist. Jin held onto her tightly, leaping off the ceiling lightly and landing on the ground without a sound. "I really want to know how to do that," said Hikari, trying to walk away from Jin, but to no avail. "Let me go! I want to cook dinner dammit!"

"No, I'll do it, go rest in your room and dry yourself 's not healthy to stay in wet clothing and I also know you had an argument with Ned, again. On top of that, you burnt your hand the other day while cooking didn't you? No cooking for you till I say so, stupid. And I'm not teaching you how to walk upside down till you've undergone more training, physically and mentally," Jin growled, making Hikari cower slightly. Hikari sighed, and walked to her room after Jin released his grip, closing the door behind her. Jin sighed. "Letting this girl stay here with me is so troublesome... Why doesn't she just open her heart a little bit?" Jin shook his head, before he went to his kitchen to do a little cooking.

"Now where did those eggs go? Ah there they are-"

A loud explosion was heard from the kitchen, and Hikari tried hard to contain her laughter, covering her mouth with her neck scarf and attempting to muffle her laughter. Inside the kitchen, however, were a mess and a slightly burnt Jin. Whatever exposed skin he had was covered in black soot, and his scarf was slightly burnt at the end. Jin gave a small cough as he tried to cough out the soot that had entered his mouth when the egg exploded in front of his face. Fortunately for him he had ducked away from it in time before he received the full brunt of the explosion.

"Damn brat and her pranks. I should have never taught her how to make explosives. How the heck did she manage to stuff gunpowder into an egg anyway?"

As Hikari and Jin sat down with their dinner, Hikari casted her glance at the floor as she ate silently. Jin had changed into another set of clothing after the explosion without Hikari knowing and was also eating.

"Is there something bugging you?" Jin asked without looking up from his plate.

"Not really. But how the hell do you walk on any surface? I've seen you walk sideways on the skyscrapers before..." Hikari grumbled, poking her food with her fork as she gave Jin a glare.

"I'm a ninja." Jin replied as he ignored Hikari's glare at him, going back to his food.

"No you're not. Ninjas exist in Mushroom Shrine. Speaking of which, I wanna see a real ninja and see if they are as good as us thieves."

"Ninjas don't just exist in Mushroom Shrine. Am I not a good ninja enough for you, Hikari?" Jin suddenly appeared behind Hikari still chewing and holding his plate, frightening her out of her skin and nearly made her fall forward into her meal face first.

"I really hate it when you do that, and no, you're not a good ninja cause you're not a genuine one."

"That's it, you're getting a beating for that as well as that exploding egg you snuck into fridge just now."

"Aw darn it. Am I going to wake up tomorrow with aching muscles again?"

"Maybe," said Jin evilly, and Hikari shrank back in fear. Nevertheless, as Hikari ate her meal silently, she was thinking about something.

_Why are they here? We're better off doing things by ourselves anyway... I don't need friends,_ Hikari thought to herself.

_Is that how you really feel? Don't you yearn for that sense of belonging?_ Hikari looked around wildly, looking for the source of the voice that she could hear.

"W-Who was that?" she asked Jin. Jin gave her a puzzled look.

"What are you talking about Hikari?" Jin replied. Hikari then shook her head.

_Probably my hallucinations,_ Hikari thought to herself. After finishing her meal, she left the plate in the basin and returned to the room, taking a short rest before leaping into the small training ring. "I'm so going to be in pain later, I just know it."

Back at the inn where Replex laid in his bed, he tossed and turned as the rain turned into a storm. Lightning flashed across the sky and casted the shadow of his bed on the floor. Unable to take it anymore, he sat up on his bed and adjusted his pillow so that he could lean back on it.

_Is something troubling you?_ said Ru as he emerged from Replex's sword.

"Yeah. It's Master Jin. I can't get my mind off him. It's the first time I've met him, but yet..."

_Hmmm?_

"I feel like I've met him before. Furthermore, I feel as if we were really good friends. I can't remember..." Replex winced and he held his head in pain as he tried to force himself to remember.

_He's a harsh speaking man. He is never too kind with his words and will slam anyone down. In addition, he doesn't really give a second thought to other people's feelings. However, wrapped in the clothing of darkness which is the path he has chosen to walk down, there is a small light of kindness. He has shown it when he chose to be kind to that girl, Hikari Hopeix. He may insult her, but deep down, he really cares for that girl's well-being, _explained Ru.

"Is that so... I see. The aura he gave off was... overwhelming and completely out of this world. Hey, how do you know so much about him?" asked Replex, his suspicion on Ru rising. Ru backed off, sweating slightly.

_Erm..., _he stammered, looking around for an idea to change the subject.

"Now that I think about it, you knew about my dad too! Ru, what are you hiding from me!"

_Oh my, look at the time! If you don't get enough sleep, you won't be able to help anyone tomorrow, trust my words!_ With that, Ru, disappeared back into the gem on Replex's sword, which glowed a soft red. Replex growled in the direction of the gem.

"That sneaky little jerk... Oh well, I can't force him against his will, might as well just try to sleep it off..." Replex grumbled, pulling the blanket over him and trying to get to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the storm continued to rage on. Hikari woke up shivering as she heard the thunder roaring and the winds blowing hard. She got up, slipped on her jacket and tied her neck scarf neatly around her neck. She rubbed her thigh muscles gently, as well as her neck. "Oww... Master Jin really did a number on me last night. I couldn't see him at all the minute he got Haste out." When she left her room, she heard a light snoring coming from above her. "He slept upside down again. Can't he just walk a few more steps into his room and too his bed?" she sighed, shaking her head and going to prepare some sandwiches from breakfast.<p>

In the midst of her preparation, she heard a loud yawn coming from the main room, followed by a loud crash. "Three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five times!" she yelled. The reply she was received was an annoyed grumble as Jin marched into the kitchen, rubbing his back and his head. "I told you, but noo, you didn't listen to me," teased Hikari, a soft smile on her face.

"At least you're smiling, that's all that matters," replied Jin bluntly. Hikari immediately reverted back to her stone face.

"What smile?" she said coldly.

"You're bad at acting. I'll do the cooking," he said.

"Too bad, I'm already done. Your share's over there," she said, taking her plate and going out to eat. Jin sighed, walking over to where she was sitting and sat next to her.

"Really, you are so rude."

"You insult me half the time, Master Jin."

"Fine. Are you going to befriend the three of them?" asked Jin. An awkward silence rang through the room, before Hikari replied shakily.

"N-No..."

"Why not? Are you afraid?" Jin said. Hikari said nothing, but went back to the kitchen to put the dish into the basin, before leaving the hideout.

"I'm leaving, I'll be back at evening," informed Hikari, ignoring Jin's questions. Jin sighed.

"What a nutcase. She tries to remain strong outside, but her heart has been scarred so many times she's afraid to accept people into her life again. Why does she insist on doing everything by herself? I'll never understand women," Jin muttered to himself, finishing his meal. "Time to get to work again, I'm expecting the shipment of meat from Dances today..."

Meanwhile, Weniry was taking a stroll of the city after having her breakfast. She carried an umbrella with her as the storm had died down and turned into a light shower instead. She saw Hikari walk in the opposite direction of her, her clothes wet from the rain. "Should I say hi...?" she asked herself. Suddenly a loud scream was heard and both girls turned their heads as a young man rushed past them, holding a purse. An old lady carrying a walking stake was feebly trying to catch up.

"Stop! Thief!" she cried out. Before Weniry could blink, Hikari had dashed up behind the thief, tripped him up, pinned him down into the puddles of water and snatched the purse away from his hands.

"Shame on you, picking on an old lady like that," she chided, her narrow eyes glaring at the thief, before she got up and approached the old lady. "Here you are, Madam," she said, placing the purse gently into the old lady's open hand. "Please take care of yourself, it can get a bit dangerous here sometimes."

"Thank you young girl! May you be blessed with luck in your life," the old lady thanked. Hikari watched as the old lady walked away slowly, her face still expressionless, raindrops dripping from her clothes and hair. Weniry watched her, before turning and walking away herself.

"Maybe she isn't as evil as we first saw her. Master Jin was right, she does have a warm heart..." Weniry whispered to herself as she returned to the inn to wait for Replex and Leo to return.

About an hour later, Leo and Replex returned at the same time. Weniry related what she saw earlier. "This is getting more interesting," Replex said. "So is she good or mean now?"

"We'll have to see. I'm pretty sure Master Jin wouldn't ask us to befriend someone who's bad right?" Leo said, folding his arms and leaning back on his chair. Leo's face turned serious abruptly as he sat up straight, his eyes moving from left to right.

"What are you doing?" asked Replex, but Leo placed his hand in front of Replex's mouth, signaling him to shut his mouth. Leo finally relaxed just a touch when he saw a group of thieves leave the inn.

"We may have some trouble," Leo said in a hushed tone. "Did you see the group of thieves just now? They had planted a fake distress note somewhere in Kerning City in order to ambush someone. Take a random guess who's the victim." Replex and Weniry looked at each other with worried faces before turning back to Leo. He gave a serious nod, standing up.

"They're after Hikari's life this time! Master Jin has said before that Hikari is a gullible idiot, she may fall for it with that good heart of hers. We have to hurry to the place we first met her!" ordered Leo. Instantly, the trio got up and ran back to the maze they got lost in when they first arrived in Kerning City.

Back at the dead-end, Hikari looked around. "Funny... I thought someone said they needed help here," she muttered to herself. Suddenly, a piece of cloth covered her mouth and nose as a weird smell came out from the cloth. Her vision began to blur, as she recognized the smell. "Chlo...ro...foam..." was all she could said before she passed out into Ned's arms. Ned gave an evil smirk as he tied up Hikari's wrists together and hoisted her up such that she was dangling in the air from her wrists. He turned to the same gang of thieves that exited the inn earlier.

"Let's have some fun, shall we boys?" Ned cackled, cracking his knuckles.

Sounds of rushing footsteps could be heard in the soft echoes echoed by the maze, carrying the scent of desperation and anxiety...

* * *

><p>AN: Another chapter and I'm running out of things to say here! The toilet thing was my interpretation of the actual entrance to the Dark Lord in the game... down the toilet bowl. This is also by far my longest chapter, I believe. Till the next update, stay sharp~


	11. Pact

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Chapter 11: Pact

* * *

><p>"Wakey wakey, White Thief..." was what Hikari could hear. Her wrists were aching, and she could not see a single thing. <em>My wrists are tied up... I can't feel the ground, so I'm probably tied up and blindfolded,<em> she thought. "Ugh, is that annoying voice yours, Ned?"

"Bingo! You're senses are truly honed, expected from one that is Master Jin's personal student," mocked Ned as he poked the cheek of the blindfolded thief. Surrounding the duo was several other thieves and brick walls.

"Seems like we're inside the maze huh... I guess that stupid note just now was written by you," spat Hikari bitterly.

"Yup. You fell for it, you really are so gullible. It's funny that a thief can be so gullible you know, considering the fact that thieves are ones who trick people, not the other way round?" said Ned.

"And it's also funny how you need a gang of friends to beat up on one girl. My, aren't you full of justice, Ned?" Hikari said with sarcasm. A second later, she felt pain in her abdomen as something hard collided with it. "Gah!" she yelled, coughing out saliva. Ned withdrew a small metal rod, smirking.

"Justice isn't exactly the way of thieves you know?" said Ned.

"Shut up. It's because of jerks like you that our Thief name has been so badly tainted. Master Jin is working hard to polish up after all your messes!"

"Cheh! Master Jin here, Master Jin there! You really idolise him don't you?" Hikari fell silent at this, with nothing more to comment. "I was right then. It would appear that the three fellows from just now got wind of our little plan... But this area is a maze; they won't be finding you anytime soon. Hoi, one of you stand guard and make sure no intruders come along," Ned said, pulling out a fruit knife from his pocket.

"By the way, are you still using that silly kitchen knife Ned? I'm pretty sure it must be blunt by now," asked Hikari, as she tried to hide her laughter. The other thieves around her also started laughing. "Sheesh, you're already in the second tier of Thievery, and you're still using that? Couldn't you have at least gotten a Forked Dagger or something from the weapon store?"

"Silence you wench! You guys shut up too! Stop laughing!" yelled Ned as he swung his knife around him wildly in an attempt to get his gang to stop laughing. Hikari stopped laughing after awhile.

_I must get out of here,_ she thought. _But can I do it by myself? Should I wait for those three to rescue me? What are the odds of them coming? Everyone abandons me the moment trouble arrives. Humans are all the same, we abandon each other when it's too much for us to take!_ Hikari thought bitterly, gritting her teeth in anger. She felt something sharp poking her skin, and pain started overcoming her senses and more wounds were made on her body as the thieves started slicing at her.

"Seriously... If you wanted a more honest life, why didn't you just be a warrior or something? Then again, with that small body, I guess you couldn't!" Ned laughed, slashing at Hikari's leg. Hikari grit her teeth in pain, as she tried not to scream. Her mind wandered to a time period several years ago, when she first wanted to be a thief.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Jin," said a twelve-year old Hikari. Jin looked up from his documents at the petite girl who was playing with a few of his throwing stars.<p>

"Yes?"

"I want to be a Thief, will you teach me how?"

"And why do you want to become a member of shadows? Thieves are generally not very welcomed for their ways, you know?" This drew a soft snort from the young girl, who walked up to Jin's document table.

"Then why do you do it?" asked Hikari as she leaned her head on the table.

"I was entrusted this job by the previous Dark Lord."

"That's all? Don't you like it?"

"It's pretty fun, especially when it comes to spooking a certain little girl by popping out of nowhere..."

"Hey!"

"Okay okay, I'll be serious. I didn't honestly enjoy it that much, since I had to change my ways a little. But seeing the smiles of my people is also rewarding. Also..."

"Also what?" asked Hikari as she leaned forward to listen to what he had to say.

"I'm not telling you," Jin replied with a smug smirk behind his mask as he leaned back into his chair.

"What! No fair Jin!" protested Hikari childishly. Jin watched as the twelve-year old threw a fake mini tantrum on his table.

"I'm only joking. Thieves generally have a bad reputation here in this Maple World. I want to get rid of that bad reputation. You've seen for yourself, the thieves generally aren't that bad."

"Oooh... Okay, it's settled! I'll help you with it!"

"You? Right, you're too small and weak for that big of a job."

"I'll get taller and stronger somehow you mean jerk! Rawr!" yelled Hikari as she leapt over the table and tackled Jin off his chair. Jin caught her quickly before she could hit the floor and cradled her close to him.

"Fine, I will train you to be a thief. But you'll have to follow my rules and you'll have to call me Master. If you misbehave, I'll punish you twice as hard as I do to the other thieves," warned Jin, looking at Hikari's deep green eyes. "Still want to do it?"

"... Yes. For one thing, Ned pisses me off. I don't like the fact he steals from other people. He used to be so nice by making me laugh all the time... Oh, can I have that white jacket that's lying on the sofa over there?" asked Hikari, pointing at a large white coat on the sofa.

"Where the heck did you learn such language... And what do you want that white jacket for? It's too big for you."

"I want you to make a jacket for me! Then I'll make white pants to go with it! I won't wear dark clothing, I want to be a thief who walks down a path of light!"

"You and your silly little theories. I'll do the pants for you, or the 'pants' that you sew will turn into some piece of weird cloth that can't be worn."

"Shut up Master Jin!" Jin ran away from the raging little girl as she picked up several throwing stars and threw them randomly at him. It only made her madder when the tall Thief Instructor caught them easily with his fingers. "I'll get stronger... And I'll remove the bad reputation that the thieves have someday!" Jin watched as the little girl stood there, glaring at him.

"Then it will be a promise?"

"Yes, definitely! You'll see!"

* * *

><p>"Argh!" screamed Hikari as a knife was plunged deep into her leg and she snapped back to reality. Her body was already covered in numerous cuts and wounds, and her clothes were already stained with blood.<p>

"Damn, this girl has such a strong will," cursed Ned. Hikari smirked a little, panting hard with blood dripping from her lips as she felt her strength leave her slowly bit by bit.

"Unlike you... I have... a... promise I must keep!" Hikari forced out. "By the way, do you realise you forgot to do something?" Ned shook his head. Suddenly, Hikari swung her body back and kicked Ned hard in the face. Using the momentum she got, she twisted her body around and kicked the rest of the thieves as well. "You forgot to tie my feet. You should never leave a thief's fingers able to move, as long as I can still move them, I should be able to be free of this ropes... There!" Hikari undid the knot on her wrists with ease, dropping to the ground lightly. She pulled off the blindfolded and was dumbfounded to see all the thieves kneeling on the floor.

"Erm... I didn't kick that hard, did I?" she asked sheepishly.

"You got us right in a guy's sweet spot you short twerp!" yelled all the thieves. It then dawned on Hikari that she was only dangling just a bit off the floor, and that when she lifted her leg up to kick, it would strike a rather undesirable spot...

"Oops... Well... I'm sorry! It wasn't on purpose!" Hikari apologised hastily before turning on her heels to run off. As she tried to go into a dash, pain shot through her entire body, and she fell onto the ground, unable to move. "C-Curse this... M-My body... won't move..." A hand grabbed her hair roughly from behind and yanked her up forcefully onto her feet. The thief who was on the look-out for intruders suddenly turned back and sent Hikari flying into the wall with a hard kick to the chest.

"Damn little brat..." Ned scowled as he picked himself up, brandishing his fruit knife. Hikari really could not resist smirking at him, despite the fact that she was slowly losing conscious.

"Damn you Ned... You always kept that stupid knife, and it always made me laugh... Why do you keep it anyway?" asked Hikari weakly. Ned gave her a scornful look.

"A person about to leave for Heaven shouldn't ask," he replied. Hikari took another glance at him. Ned had a look of hesitation in his eyes; he was sweating non-stop and the knife that he was pointing directly at her face was shaking.

"If you are so confident that you're going to kill me, why do you hesitate? You can't kill me, can you?" questioned Hikari. It was as if she struck a nerve, Ned took a step back from her.

"S-Shut up!" he yelled, about to drive the knife into her head. Hikari readied herself to dodge the incoming knife.

"Don't move an inch, Hikari!" a familiar voice ordered, and several arrows struck Ned and the knife. Ned cried out and fell onto his side, breathing hard while his knife fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Who's there!" Ned demanded, turning to look at his assaulter.

"My my, aren't you ashamed of yourselves, ganging on one girl? And you call yourself men?" Leo asked as he walked forward with his bow in his hand. "Seems like some disciplinary action is in order."

"Be quiet! Get 'im boys!" ordered Ned. The gang of thieves quickly tossed several throwing stars at Leo. Leo calmly closed his eyes smirking as the stars struck hard against a shield. He opened his eyes against in annoyance, tapping his foot lightly against a warrior's leg.

"Oi, Replex. Get out of my way, I was about to do a really slick move there," he grumbled. Replex turned around and growled.

"I rather see your slick move later than let you get skewered by throwing stars," Replex shot back, getting up. "Alrighty then, we'll be taking back that girl.

"You'll have to get through us first!" yelled the thieves, blocking the path. Leo slapped his forehead.

"How ridiculous. Hey thieves, know what's thicker than your skull?" Leo asked. The thieves gave a clueless look, looking at each other before shaking their head. "A charging brute with a shield, that's what."

At that instance, the whole thief formation collapsed as Replex suddenly rushed forward with his shield in front of him, knocking the thieves down and stunning them for a minute. "Phew! Weniry, get over here! Hikari seems to be in really bad shape!"

_You think!_ yelled Hikari mentally. "I-I can take care of myself, dammit..." mumbled Hikari as she tried to get up, only to fall onto her rear again as her wounds starting acting up."O-Ouch!" she cried out, holding her wounds in pain.

"It's a miracle you can still keep consciousness, actually... You have wounds everywhere; arms, legs, stomach, chest... This will take awhile to heal it all," explained Weniry, using her Heal spell on Hikari, a soft green glow coming from her staff.

"I already said I don't need your help-" Hikari started, but was cut off by a sharp glove slap from Replex. He glared down at the weakened thief, in his right hand the glove that hid his Rubian mark.

"Are you an idiot! You're not a one man, erm, one lady army ya know!" he yelled at her. "There may be some things you can certainly do by yourself, but there are also times you need the help of others!" Hikari stared at him, before she turned her gaze down, silent.

"I mean... We heard you got betrayed by your friends a lot and your story really sounds similar to Leo's story, so I guess we can understand... But still, you shouldn't go around doing everything by yourself!" Replex explained, scratching his head. Leo sighed.

"First off, you should stop being so gullible," Leo stated flatly.

"... I can't help it. When I see people in trouble, my heart just goes out to them. I've been in pain so much that when I see other people in trouble I just want to help them..." Hikari said her gaze still on the floor.

"Well, you should always double-check to see if they really need help. I mean, helping is a good thing and all but- Hey, are you crying?" Leo asked suddenly, a look of shock on his face. "H-Hey! D-Don't cry!"

"D-Don't they always say it's a crime to make a girl cry?" asked Weniry. Hikari was shaking, hugging her knees close to her chest, soft sniffing sounds coming from her.

"Sniff... W-Will... you betray me?" mumbled Hikari.

"Huh?" asked Replex, kneeling down to her level.

"Will... you a-abandon m-me... l-like how everyone else has?" Replex held out his hand, taking Hikari's hand into his own, his Rubian Mark glowing slightly. Hikari lifted her head, her eyes red from crying as she looked at Replex.

"We won't, promise," said Replex, giving a wide grin. Leo sighed, shaking his head, while Weniry merely smiled. Replex pulled Hikari up onto her feet. "But you gotta tell us when you have your problems, ya know? Or we won't be able to help you."

Hikari gave a small nod, staggering and falling into Replex's arms.

"It's been so long... Since I've last felt this kind of feeling..." she murmured as tears dropped down the side of her face.

"She finally fell unconscious," said Weniry, heaving a sigh of relief. "I was really afraid she would overstress her body and end up in a worse state than she currently is."

"It'll be fine. A stubborn yet gullible person like her won't fall that easily. By the way Replex, it's rude to hit a lady," chided Leo, wagging his finger in Replex's face. Replex got annoyed and quickly tried to bite Leo's finger. He only bit thin air when Leo withdrew his finger quickly.

"Shut up, Leo, she needed some sense smacked into her," retorted Replex, carrying Hikari bridal style. "I don't feel like doing it with my palm, so I used my glove instead."

"Hold it right there you three!" Ned yelled from behind, plucking the arrows out of his body and struggling to get up.

"Oh just give up, you silly goose," said Leo.

"Stop it already, Ned." Ned's body froze as he recognised the cold voice that came from above him.

"M-Master Jin..." Ned stammered as he turned around. Jin leapt down from the wall, looking around.

"A bit of extensive damage. For one, I didn't expect a warrior's brute strength to knock out all the thieves... Cheh, they need more training," Jin continued to mumble to himself, pulling Ned up by the arm. "Get up, Ned." He then turned to the trio.

"Sorry to have dragged you into this, apparently Ned has gotten into one of his life-threatening pranks again. My sword will be your guide out of this maze. I'll see you later at the inn; please hold onto Hikari for me," said Jin, pulling out a small sword that was sheathed on his back. He flipped it into the air, watching as it floated past Replex and crew. "Go after it now, or it will leave you behind." The teenagers nodded, chasing after the sword.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright, Ned?" Jin asked as he sat down in a cross-legged manner and started bandaging Ned's injuries.<p>

"I'm fine- Ow ow ow! Not so tight, Master!" Ned screamed, holding the injury in pain.

"It was a powerful arrow shot, of course it hurts. The bandage has to be tight. Besides, you only have yourself to blame."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You were the one who suggested this stupid act so that it would convince Hikari could get together with them... I don't know why I allowed you to do it," Jin sighed, shaking his head.

"I-I just wanted to a reason to beat up Hikari, that's all! Gyahahahaha!" cackled Ned as he turned away.

"She'll be leaving Kerning City soon."

"... What?"

"She will be leaving soon. Why, will you miss her or something?"

"A-As if! I-I won't miss that stupid girl at all! Dressing in white and all..."

"You appear to care for her a lot, you know?"

"I-I do not!" denied Ned, turning away. Jin sighed, finishing his medical work.

"You're really bad at lying, just like she is. If you didn't care, you wouldn't have planned to divert your stab earlier. And you wouldn't have kept that silly fruit knife when you have a better dagger at home, cause you realised the fruit knife was something that Hikari found funny," said Jin, before leaping over the walls and disappearing. Ned sat there, motionless as he stared into the ground.

"... I guess I just didn't want that laughter to disappear..." murmured Ned, getting up. His fellow thieves have left them earlier so that Ned and Jin could have their private conversation. "I guess I was the one who made her change... I didn't want her to be so gullible..." Ned mumbled, walking home. In his ears, the sound of a cute and innocent laugh replayed over and over again.

Meanwhile, Jin dashed to the inn, leaping roofs with ease. He ran inside to see Hikari lying on a mat on the floor, surrounded by Replex, Leo and Weniry as well as the inn keeper.

"Dark Lord, what happened to this girl? She's all beaten up!" asked the inn keeper.

"... A little squabble. Let me have a look at her," said Jin, kneeling on one knee next to Hikari. Gently, he pulled off her jacket to reveal many other cuts along her arms. He grabbed the bandages and wrapped them securely around the injuries Weniry could not heal, patching her up easily. "There, maybe next time she'll learn to consult others before charging off recklessly like the gullible fool she is. I'll have to do up the other injuries later, I'm not stripping her in front of you guys."

"M-Master Jin, isn't that being too harsh?" asked Replex.

"It's about time she stopped rejecting people from her life. It's been awhile since I last saw her crying though. Jin lifted Hikari gently into his arms, shaking his head.

"I'll talk to her later when she wakes up. You may see her in a few days, I advise you to continue training..." Jin turned around, his scarf trailing in the air and disappeared without another trace left.

"Man, Master Jin really is too mysterious sometimes..." complained Replex, yawning."I'm beat; I think I'll go get a nap. It isn't easy knocking them off their feet ya know, Leo?"

"Shut up and go to sleep if you want to, lazy bum."

"Why you!"

"There they go again..." Weniry shook her head as the two started having a physical brawl in the inn.

* * *

><p>Hikari woke up with a jolt on her bed, looking around. She took a look at herself and saw bandages all over her body. "My scarf! W-Where is it!" she screamed, panicking.<p>

"Shut up already, it's at your bedside," said Jin as he walked into her room carrying a tray of food. "Aren't you a troublesome little girl, getting into a fight. Not only that, Replex and his friends had to come and save you. Tsk tsk tsk, whatever happened to the promise three years ago?"

Hikari looked down, mumbling "sorry". She reached for her the small piece of red cloth and tied it firmly around her neck. A second later, she gave Jin a look of shock. "W-Were you the one who bandaged my body? And took off my clothes?"

"Yes, if not you would be bleeding all the-"

"You PERVERT!" screamed Hikari as she threw her pillow at him. Jin ducked and extended his leg behind him to catch the pillow.

"I didn't touch where I wasn't supposed to touch, silly girl. I had to wrap the bandages around your stomach when I brought you here; I couldn't do it at the inn with guys watching," replied Jin, setting the tray beside Hikari.

"... Speaking of which, are those three alright?" asked Hikari softly.

"Yes, they are perfectly fine. They caught Ned off-guard so they didn't really receive much injuries. Maybe a couple of scratches but they didn't really get injuried."

"I think I'll go with them. I think... I can trust them. What say you, Master Jin?"

"Do what you like, as long as you don't get into anymore trouble," answered Jin, taking a sit beside her.

"Yes sir. And thank Ned for me, won't you?"

"Why would you thank someone who tried to kill you?"

"He made me realise... that there are limits to how much I can reject people from my life. Also, I want to thank him for giving me a good laugh when we were younger." Hikari turned away, her cheeks turning red slightly. Jin chuckled softly, taking the plate of food and lifting it to her eye level.

"Open up."

"I can feed myself, darn it!"

"With your arms in such condition? Nah, I think I'll feed you instead. Besides, it's fun seeing you make that really sulky look."

"I hate you so much, Master Jin."

"Yeah, love you too, my student," replied Jin as he took a spoonful of the food on the plate. Hikari puffed her cheeks up childishly.

"By the way, you're going to have to stay in bed for another 2 more days."

"WHAT!"

"Have you forgotten the bad injuries on your legs and the especially bad one on your stomach? Or would you like me to make you stay in bed for a week?"

"Fine, I'll take the two days, Master."

"That's a good student."

Hikari leaned forward, making a sulky face. Jin started poking her cheek with his finger, drawing a rather angry bite from Hikari. He smiled, before getting up and leaving the room. "Take a nice long rest. You'll need it. I advise you not to touch your injuries, it'll hurt like hell."

Hikari shot a curious look at Jin, and watched as the door closed softly. She stared at the bandage on her arm. "Did that mage healed some of my cuts? There are lesser than I remembered... Oh yeah, that green glow was the Cleric's Heal spell," she said.

Out of curiosity, Hikari poked the bandage on her arm.

"OW!"

"Stupid girl," Jin sighed to himself as he sat down at his document table.

* * *

><p>Two days later, Replex and crew decided to pay a visit to Hikari in the evening. They entered the bar which was supposed to be the hideout for the thieves.<p>

"There's no one here," said Leo as he took a look around the area. Suddenly, Hikari came out from the toilet, surprising the trio.

"Where did you come from!" asked Weniry, hiding behind Leo.

"Erm... Underground? Why are you guys here anyway?" she asked.

"Came looking for you, are your injuries alright?" asked Replex, concerned.

"More or less. Master Jin's medicine worked pretty well. And... Erm... Come on Hikari, it ain't that hard to say it..." Hikari started mumbling as her face started turning red.

"If you have something to say, just say it already loud and clear without mumbling," ordered Leo, folding his arms. Hikari shot a angry look at him. Standing straight, she bowed to the three.

"Thank you for saving me back then," she said, blushing slightly.

"N-No problem. T-There isn't a need to bow, you know?" replied Replex.

"It's courtesy, I was brought up this way," replied Hikari. "Since I feel I can trust you guys... May I show you my favourite spot in Kerning City? There's a really beautiful view there, and since it's almost sunset, it'll be even better," offered Hikari. Replex, Weniry and Leo looked at each other, before looking back and Hikari and nodding.

"Hang on, it'll be faster if I used this... Haste." Hikari placed her two of her fingers flat against each other, muttering softly. With both fingers, she traced a certain character in the air. A gentle blue breeze blew around her and the crew, and the trio felt their bodies lighten up a good load.

"W-What's this feeling?" asked Leo, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Haste is a Thief skill that lightens your body and allows you to move faster. I can use it on others too if I want to. It's pretty useful. It'll take awhile to get use to it though," Hikari explain, zooming past them and appearing at the door. "Come on, if we don't hurry, we won't be able to see it!"

There was a sort of delight in Hikari's voice, despite the cold face she was putting up. She led them higher up the buildings, leaping onto one of the construction machines that were left around in Kerning City.

"Be careful that you don't trip over the small holes," teased Hikari as she observed the trio struggling to get use to the speed.

"Aw shuddup," Leo snapped at Hikari. Hikari gave a shrug, sitting down.

"Come on, sit over here and look over to the West," urged Hikari in an impatient manner.

When the trio set their eyes on the skies before them, it was a beautiful sight. The dark purplish clouds of Kerning City were mixed together with the rays of the setting sun, creating a splendid sight.

"This is so beautiful," whispered Weniry. Leo nodded in agreement.

"I don't usually share this spot with anyone else. It's my personal get away spot when I feel upset or alone," Hikari said sadly, casting her gaze to the sun. A light blow hit her shoulder, causing her to shift slightly. She turned to glare at the offender, and saw a grinning Replex instead.

"Well, but you won't be alone anymore! You have us now, right?" claimed Replex, grinning like an idiot. Hikari blinked a few times, before getting up and look at the trio. She then flashed an innocent smile at them, touching her lips delicately as she let out a soft and innocent laugh.

"Thank you, everyone," Hikari said gratefully. Replex's cheeks were coloured a soft red as he saw that smile.

_C-Cute... Wait, what am I thinking!_ Replex gave himself a slap across the face, trying to shake off thoughts of Hikari. This drew in curious stares from the other three. Replex laughed nervously, waving his hand as if to wave off their concerns.

"I got an idea, why not we make a pact?" suggest Replex. "Since we're all from the fallen Rubian Palace -though we don't recall it at all- and we all carry the Rubian Marks on our fists. Actually, there's one more guy, but he ain't here right now. So how about it?"

"That's a pretty decent idea from you," agreed Leo, ducking as he dodged Replex's punch.

"Shut up!" Replex growled at Leo. He put his fist, grabbed Leo's and Weniry's fists as well and put them next to each other, leaving a gap for Hikari. Hikari looked at them, before putting her fist in as well.

"No matter what the future holds and what destiny gives us, we'll always be there for each other, forever, yeah?" said Replex, grinning. Leo gave a soft smirk, while Weniry smiled. Hikari stared down at their fists for a moment, before looking up.

"Always," replied the other three. At that moment, the marks on their hands started glowing softly, as if to signify that the pact was made. Hikari smiled again, turning to Replex.

"Have you got any other plans after Kerning City?" she asked.

"Now that you mention it... We went to most of the major cities on Victoria Island already," replied Replex, scratching his head. _And I still haven't really found my purpose or my memories. I won't rest till I find it, _ Replex said to himself mentally.

"If that's the case, why not try going to Sleepywood?" suggested Hikari.

"Sleepywood Dungeons? That place is quite dangerous though," replied Leo, resting a hand on his chin. "Mistress Athena often advised us bowmen not to approach that area."

"Well, I think we should be more than prepared~" joked Replex.

"Either way, as long as we don't delve too deep into the dungeons, we should be fine. Sleepywood is right under the World Tree, of course the monsters inside are generally the toughest here," explained Hikari. Weniry thought about it for a moment.

"We're going as a group, right? It shouldn't be that bad," said Weniry. "But do we need to go back to Henesys to access it?"

"No. There is an entrance to the dungeons in Kerning City, but..." Hikari glanced away, a bit hesitant to continue.

"But what?" asked Leo impatiently.

"It's through the sewers... There's a swamp growing in the sewers, which is also infested with monsters." Hikari saw the look of disgust on their faces and sighed. "It doesn't stink that bad actually, so don't worry too much about it. How about I meet you guys outside the sewers tomorrow morning?"

Weniry smiled, nodding. "Sure. Well boys, we better go. And please, for Minerva's sake, don't get into another fight over dinner."

"Leo started it!" protested Replex. Leo scoffed at Replex, and proceeded to run away from an angry warrior.

"They really do get along quite well, huh?" said Hikari.

"Are you really sure about that?" said Weniry, rather uncertain.

That evening, Hikari sat down on her bed, staring at a small photo frame that displayed a picture of her and Jin. She then looked at her Rubian Dagger, frowning slightly as it started glowing.

"Odd," she said. "Perhaps I should ask Master Jin about this. It's been occurring a lot recently." Hikari got up with the dagger. She barely touched the doorknob when the gem embedded in the dagger glowed brighter, blinding her as her room was engulfed in a red light.

"Argh! What the heck is this!" exclaimed Hikari, shielding her eyes.

When the light died out, there was another Hikari standing in front of her. However, in addition to the normal clothes that Hikari wore, the girl also wore a tiara with a ruby in its middle.

_Seems like you finally understood the importance of having friends and people in your life, that's good,_ said the girl. _I was wondering how long you were going to stick as a loner._

"W-Who are you?" Hikari asked, pointing a shaking finger at her.

_You should already know what I am. My name, for simplicity's sake, is Iruhi. I awoke when you realised the importance of family and friends, one of the traits of a Hopeix,_ explained Iruhi.

"Traits of a Hopeix? I have no idea what you're talking about," denied Hikari stubbornly.

_You can continue to deny all you want, but your heart knows the truth and the destiny that awaits. You may run, but there will come a day where you can no longer do so, Hikari. I'll reappear again when you summon me._ With that, Iruhi faded back into the gem of the dagger. Hikari frowned, putting her dagger aside, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on a peg.

"Damn, I better get some sleep right now or I'll never wake up in time." Hikari pulled off her glasses, before falling onto her bed, dead asleep.

Meanwhile, Jin stood outside her room, his eyes closed. "So she has awakened as well... Things are going to get a little more complicated than expected. Oh well, time to sleep on the ceiling again." With a light leap and back-flip, Jin found himself on the ceiling again, and closed his eyes.

It never did matter to him that he fell on his head each morning, as long as he gets to hear that laughter of his student, the pain was worth it.

* * *

><p>AN: Hoo hum~ Flashbacks are fun~ And Hikari hitting the boys where she shouldn't be hitting is totally accidental. This to me, is one of my ... 'mushy' chapters? Well, to me at least.


	12. A Bad Turn

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

WildOrion: Hehe, I'm glad your enjoying my chapters/story so far. Makes me happy to know you're enjoying it! And yes, Leo and Replex arguing is funny. My precious comedy duo. :P Is it me, or are your 'really's increasing by each review? X3

Chapter 12: A Bad Turn

* * *

><p>Hikari got up early the next day, and checked herself to see if she missed out anything. "Weapons, checked. Scarf, checked. Hmm... Am I missing anything?"<p>

"Food, checked?" A bag of food was held in front of her face by Jin, who leaned forward slightly to look at the half-awake thief. Hikari got startled and leapt back, only to crash hard into the wall behind her.

"I hate you so much," she mumbled as she rubbed her aching back.

"You never mean it though," Jin chuckled. "I preserved some meat and left some raisins inside this bag. The swamp route may result in quite a long trip to Sleepywood after all."

"You overheard us?" asked Hikari, grabbing the bag. "Furthermore, is it alright? I mean, the demand of meat in Kerning City is getting higher and our meat supplies aren't increasing..."

"I got the shipment from Dances with Balrog about two to three days ago, there's no need to worry about Kerning as long as I am here. Go on your trip with peace, Hikari. Also..." Jin pulled out two manuals from his pocket - which were rather torn and tattered- and handed it over to Hikari. The pages have turned yellow from age.

"Manuals for the skills of Assassin and Bandit for you to learn on the way. The manuals can still be read, don't worry. Stop giving me that look!" Jin gave a sharp glare as Hikari was giving him a dumbfounded stare that literally said: _You damn cheapskate, giving me old books. _Hikari sighed, keeping them in her own pocket.

"Thanks Master Jin," she said before hugging Jin tightly and running out of the hideout with a rather red face. Jin smiled and followed after her, but went to the spot where Hikari saw the sunset.

"It's a beautiful sunrise today. Perfect for marking the beginning of their new adventure today, don't you think so Ned?" Jin turned and stared hard at the pillar that was near him. Ned slowly came out from behind it, a downcast look on his face.

"She's really leaving? I didn't get to say goodbye," spat Ned bitterly, his voice filled with regret. Jin patted him hard on the back.

"She'll return, Ned. In the meantime, you'll be my new right-hand lady- er, man."

"Yes sir," replied Ned dully as he stared at the entrance to the sewers. He watched as Hikari met up with the group and they crawled slowly into the sewers one by one. "Please be safe, you stupid, gullible White Thief. I really hate you so much," muttered Ned softly. Jin rolled his eyes at the flat lie his thief was saying.

Jin looked out to the East, where a towering tree loomed in the distance. His eyes narrowed as dark clouds started gathering above it._ This won't end well, I need to alert the other leaders_, he thought. He turned to Ned with a serious look in his eyes.

"Ned, I have something to tell you, and it's important. Listen closely to what I have to say to you, and follow it well..."

* * *

><p>"Just keep your legs and hands on the sides to avoid the swamp water that's flowing in between. We're almost there, just bear with it for a while longer!" Hikari called to the trio who were following behind her. She leapt out of the small tunnel, brushing dirt off her and stepping aside so the other could come out. Leo came out first and assisted Weniry in getting out, and Replex followed last.<p>

"Man, it was dark and cramp in there!" complained Replex, rubbing his shoulders gently. Hikari rolled her eyes at the complaining warrior. Weniry took a quick glance through the swamp. There were half rotten logs everywhere, but there was a clear path on the ground for them to walk through. Large amounts of grass grew on both sides of the path, almost shielding it from view. Green vines hung from what appeared to be the 'ceiling' of the swamp.

"You know guys, I have a theory for how Kerning City came to be, and it's -partially- related to this swamp. Wanna hear it?" Hikari blurted out suddenly, looking at the rest with sparkly eyes. Weniry saw that Hikari really, _really_ wanted to share her story, so she gave a nod in consent.

"Sure we will, won't we guys?" Weniry turned to the two guys with a scary aura emanating from her whilst there was a smile on her face. Replex and Leo shrank back from it. _A lady's wrath is to be feared,_ thought the both of them, and they hurriedly nodded their heads in agreement.

"Promise me you won't laugh. Anyway, I believe that this piece of land which Kerning City was built on was a swamp. Using magic from the Magicians, the previous leaders of Kerning slowly built up the city above the swamp, and left behind this route to Sleepywood. I guess that's why we have a 'ceiling' up there, I believe that's actually layers of pavement bricks," Hikari said, pointed up at the ceiling. "I have no proof of that, obviously."

"As an excuse for how this swamp originated, they connected the sewers here to make it seem as if polluted water had contaminated this place. Oh Replex, don't worry, Kerning City doesn't send dirty, polluted sewage water to Perion in exchange for meat!" Hikari exclaimed at the shocked Warrior whose face turned pale at the words "Polluted water". Replex breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the water sent to Perion was actually clean.

"You actually had me shocked for a moment. Master Dances with Balrog always said that most of our water comes from purified water of Kerning," said Replex, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Hikari raised an eyebrow, before turning.

"If we go down that path over there, it'll lead us to Sleepywood," explained Hikari as she started walking. She stopped abruptly as she heard the soft rustling of grass. Her eyes narrowed cunningly as a smirk pulled on her lips

"Watch out for Jr. Neckis, they may look cute, but definitely aren't friendly. They pack a nasty bite, so be careful," warned Hikari in a half-joking manner. She took out two Steely-throwing stars, and concentrated as she allowed the energy within her body to flow into the stars. The energy burst out at the tips of the kunai-shaped stars in red sparks, and Hikari threw them at a patch of moving grass.

"Lucky Seven!" she cried out, and watched calmly as the area around the stars exploded in a burst of red energy, and a shrill squeal came from it. Hikari walked over and picked up with two fingers a green monster by its tail. It looked like a snake, but in the size of a worm.

"This is a Jr. Necki," she explained to the crew, shaking it gently. "It's very agile, so Replex and Weniry might experience some difficulty striking it. Leo should have no problem with it." After a few more seconds of shaking the little snake, Hikari watched as it popped out of its skin, dead. "It's a horrid way to skin the Jr. Necki, but it's also the easiest way. The skin _just_ won't come off if you use a knife to cut it. And stop giving me that look of disgust you three..."

Hikari raised an eyebrow as Replex and Weniry had horrified looks on their face, while Leo's eyes was shadowed by his fringe, and the sides of his lips were twitching non-stop. Giving a shaky laugh, Hikari passed the skin to Replex. "We can sell this to general stores for quite a sum compared to other normal drops from monsters. It is snake skin after all... Well, kinda." Replex shot Hikari a look of utter disgust, before placing it in his pouch.

"Master Jin gave me some food to last us. I'd say it'll last us for a pretty long duration of time," Hikari said, holding up the bag Jin gave her earlier that morning.

"We stocked up on recovery potions as well, and we have Weniry as our healer. Let's get moving then," said Leo, pulling out his bow as he eyed a nearby green crocodile looking monster. Pulling his bowstring as he nocked an arrow, energy flowed from within him as he narrowed his eyes. "Focus," he mumbled, as a swirly pattern and target icon was reflected in his eyes.

The minute the crocodile monster budged from its spot, Leo's eyes snapped wide open as he released the arrow. The arrow, engulfed in its white-blue energy, pierced through the air and struck the crocodile hard and exploded, killing it instantly. A slight burnt smell lingered in the air.

"Are you trying to roast the crocodile, Leo?" Replex said jokingly. Leo ignored him and watched as Hikari walked over to the crocodile, took out her dagger and slashed off its skin.

"Nice shooting. That was a Ligator monster, relatively easier to hit than Jr. Neckis. It has a relative, the Croc monsters, which are brown in colour. Weniry, what are you doing?" Hikari asked as the young magician was crouching over a plant.

"This is... Witchgrass, right?" asked Weniry, pointing at the plant which had spiky leaves and blue-purple petals. Replex recalled seeing a picture of the plant in Weniry's mini notebook back in Ellinia.

"Yeah. This annoying plant refuses to be harvested on any side other than its right," replied Hikari, standing on the plant's left side. "If you harvest it on its left..." Hikari started hacking at the plant's steam, and watched as it withered at the first hack. "It'll die like this. There are plenty more down the swamp to collect if you like, Weniry, no need to be so shocked."

Weniry had a look of shock on her face momentarily, but immediately breathed a sigh of relief when she heard there were more plants up ahead. "You know a lot about this swamp, Hikari," praised Weniry as she followed Hikari on the path. The boys trailed behind the girls, looking around.

"I use to sneak in here a lot without Jin's permission when I was younger. In the end I always had to be rescued by him when I got trapped. Good ol' days, I guess," said Hikari monotonously.

_What kind of good days are those,_ thought Replex as he ducked under a low hanging vine.

As the group continued walking forward, they reached a break in the path. A broken plank bridge lay before them, with only its support posts standing in the murky waters of the swamp.

"Oh dear," said Hikari as she furrowed her eyebrows. "The bridge wasn't broken the last time I came by. If we don't fix it, it'll be troublesome for other adventurers and citizens who use this route..."

"You really have a kind heart, Hikari," said Weniry. Hikari immediately reverted back to her cold self.

"I don't get what you're talking about," she replied. Weniry just laughed to herself, smiling.

"Well, let's get fixing then. It'll be beneficial to others too!" said Replex, swinging his sword hard at a few logs and cutting them into planks. Hikari took out her dagger and started carving the sliced planks into the correct sizes.

"Lay them down Leo, I'll put them together with magic," said Weniry, her staff at ready. Leo nodded, cracking his knuckles and lifting a pile of planks, placing them one by one carefully above the swamp water. Weniry muttered under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration as she drew magic symbols with her free hand. When she was done, she pointed her staff at the loose wooden planks, letting the magic mana flow from within her body and out of her staff. The Rubian gem at the top of the staff gave a warm glow, and small streams of magic wind round the planks and the posts, tying them together tightly. The magic streams then disappeared, leaving behind an intact bridge.

"Done~ Erm, Replex, Hikari, you can stop making more planks now," said Weniry as she stared at the duo who were still working on more planks. Replex and Hikari immediately dropped the wood, looking at each other and then turning their heads away.

"I-I got too caught up in it," stammered Replex in an embarrassed manner.

"S-Same here," said Hikari, pocketing her dagger and getting up. "But that's a real good piece of work you did with your magic, Weniry. The bridge seems really solid." Weniry blushed at the compliment, rubbing the back of her head.

"We do learn other spells other than attacking spells, ya know..." she said softly, twiddling her thumbs."Well, now that it's fixed, let's get going."

Shortly after they had crossed the bridge, Leo's sharp ears heard a low growl coming from behind them. "Something's coming... and it ain't friendly," growled Leo.

A loud splash was heard from the waters behind them, followed by the cracking sounds of wood. With horrified looks on their faces, the group could only watch as their newly built bridge was wrecked to splinters. An enraged roar was heard as a humongous brown crocodile emerged from the waters, roaring loudly.

"Erm Leo, I think the Ligator you killed just now was its kid," said Replex, backing off from the huge crocodile.

"S-Strange... I've never seen this large crocodile around here before!" exclaimed Hikari. The large crocodile roared at the group, scaring them senseless.

"I-I don't think it's gonna let us go without a fight or injury, guys..." said Replex, unsheathing his sword. Likewise, Leo pulled out his bow, Weniry readied her staff and Hikari already had several Steelies grasped in between her fingers. Replex sprinted off recklessly, dodging a large swipe from the crocodile.

Quickly, he ducked into the crocodile's comfort zone, and plunged his sword deep into its open belly with a cocky smirk. "Idiot!" he heard Leo shout. "Get away from it NOW!"

Suddenly he found himself flying through the air, and everything started moving in slow motion. Replex turned his head just barely to see the expressions on his friends' face. Each one had equally terrified and concerned looks on their faces. _What are they concerned about? I don't feel anything,_ he thought. Blood splattered onto his glasses and on the floor as he landed back onto the ground, hard. Then the pain struck his nerves all at once and he realised he had been swiped really hard. Replex bit his lower lip hard in order not to scream in pain, but the immense pain running through his chest was enough to make him lose consciousness

"Retreat! Retreat to Sleepywood! Grab Replex's sword and RUN!" ordered Leo, lifting the wounded warrior onto his back. Hikari nimbly avoided the crocodile's swipes and grabbed the sword's handle, pulling it out. A large bellow was heard as the crocodile roared in pain, and Hikari hastily retreated back.

"Quickly! Run through that arc shape gateway! It'll bring us into the vicinity of Sleepywood and that monster can't follow us through!" screamed Hikari urgently, dragging Replex's sword with her and dashing to where Leo, Replex and Weniry were. The trio were near a gateway, where mana was flowing around it. With the last of her strength left in the dash, Hikari leapt forward carrying the sword, and shoved the rest through the gateway. A sharp "Riip!" was heard as they made through the gateway and landed on a soft ground.

"Hikari, I heard a ripping sound, are you alright-" Weniry starting asking in concern, but was silenced by the waving of Hikari's hand.

"I'm fine, look after Replex first!" hissed Hikari, and Weniry immediately ran to tend to Replex, whom Leo had laid gently on the ground. Leo went over to Hikari and took a quick look of her current condition. "Relax Leo. The ripping sound came from my pants. That damn monster's teeth caught onto my pants at the very last moment. If it weren't for the fact that I was already halfway through the portal and was being pulled in by the magic, I may have been a goner."

Leo gave a curious look, to which Hikari returned back with an innocent smile. He turned away and took in their surroundings. Above them was another gateway out, and below them were two more gateways.

"Sleepywood's special," said Hikari, "In order to protect the citizens living inside the World Tree, the leaders have erected special gateways that monsters may never enter, unless the monster is like some super duper powerful one. That's why no monster from within the World Tree ever comes out," she explained. Leo nodded in response, looking around. He saw something yellow in the distance, and for some reason it looked as if there was an eye staring back at him. As soon as he glared at it, it immediately scurried back to the darkness of the thick vegetation.

"That means we have arrived..." Leo murmured.

"Yes, we are in the outskirts of Sleepywood. Hoi there, Weniry, how's Replex?" Hikari queried, getting up and pulling the Rubian Sword with her, sliding it back into its sheath.

"I've managed to stop the bleeding from the wound on his chest temporarily, but I think he broke his arm... His right arm to be exact," replied Weniry, concerned. Leo grabbed a few branches lying around, and some vines.

"The right arm, right? Alright then, we'll do this..." Leo attached the branches to Replex's arm, tying them securely. "We should try to limit the movement of his right arm... We don't need it becoming worse. Let's get him to an inn quickly."

"Are you sure you applied the correct first aid, Leo?" asked Hikari. Leo sent a glare in her direction as he lifted the unconscious warrior onto his back once again.

"Shut up. If you got so much time to talk, carry his weapons for him."

"But they're so heavy..." whined Hikari. Nevertheless, she cradled the sword in her arm and slung the shield behind her. "Heavy~" she complained, trudging behind them. Slowly and carefully, the group made their way to Sleepywood, the town that resided inside the World Tree.

* * *

><p>When the group took their first step through the gateway, they were greeted with a sight of bright yellow flowers. There were windows carved in some of the flowers, as if there were people living in them. Several monks were around the area, meditating. One of them in particular was floating right above the gateway they had just walked through, muttering what sounded like gibberish to them. Weniry pointed at a large tree-looking building, where a wooden signboard hung near the door read "Inn". Leo quickly ran over there and burst in through the doors.<p>

"We need a room for four people and a decent medic! We have a seriously injured person here!" barked Leo in an urgent tone. The lady innkeeper took one look at Replex and tossed a set of keys to Hikari, while running out of the inn, possibly to look for the town medic. Leo brought Replex into the room -which contained four beds- and laid him down gently on one of the beds. Seconds later, the innkeeper came running in with a monk strolling in calmly behind her.

"Greetings, I'm Chrishrama, one of the monks here, I heard you have an injured warrior? Ah, there he is. May the ladies please leave the room? I don't think you'll fancy staring at a guy with his shirt off, do you?" said the monk. The three ladies, Hikari, Weniry and the innkeeper left the room hurriedly with a red face. Leo frowned at Chrishrama and walked away from the bed to give him some space.

"I hope you're not a quack, Mr. Chrishrama," hissed Leo. "Or you'll have one very pissed-off bowman to deal with." Chrishrama smiled at the threat, removing Replex's shirt and looking at the bloody gnash with scrutiny.

"Let's begin the treatment then."

Half an hour later, Leo opened the door to the room, and both Hikari and Weniry rushed past him to check on Replex. They saw Replex sleeping soundly on his bed, with his arm in a cast.

"The wound on his chest is quite deep, but it's not something that can't be cured with a little healing magic. Unfortunately, the broken bone in his arm will take awhile to heal. It'll be better if the bone heals naturally first anyway. I'll visit him to make sure the wound on his chest heals properly," explained Chrishrama. Hikari breathed a sigh of relief, placing Replex's equipment by his bedside.

"Anytime you need a medic, you'll find me wandering around in town. Good day." With that, Chrishrama left the room, leaving Hikari and Weniry to ponder over the mysterious medic.

"He's good at what he does. Oh look, he's waking up," said Leo, pointing at Replex who was starting to stir. Replex's eyebrows furrowed for a few seconds, before his eyes finally opened.

"W-Wha...? What happened? All I remember was flying..." mumbled Replex in a dazed manner as he tried to get up. He winced as the pain from his broken arm made him fall back down onto his bed.

"Rest Replex, you took a bit way too much damage from that stupid crocodile just now," ordered Hikari, arms crossed in front of her chest. Replex turned his head to look at her, his eyes only half-opened.

"We... lost to it, huh?" asked Replex. With a grim face, Leo gave a firm nod.

"Victory and defeat is common in fights, don't worry about it. You won't be able to use that arm of yours for awhile. It seems we'll have to stop here for a couple of days before continuing," explained Leo.

"First things first I want to get rid of that stupid crocodile," Hikari grumbled, going to one of the beds and sitting down on it. Leo rolled his eyes at the thief who was pouting slightly.

"Replex should stay here and recuperate. The rest of us will go and do some training. For now, I suggest we should go do a bit of information hunting," Leo said with a voice of authority, turning on his heels and heading for the door with Weniry following him. "Hikari, make sure Replex doesn't budge from his bed."

"Yeah yeah, I got it, sir," replied Hikari with a bored tone. As the door closed with a soft 'click', Replex stared at the ceiling as his head started swimming.

_I fell unconscious to that monster. Does that mean I'm still too weak? Was my victory against Leo a fluke back then too? Ugh, what a disgrace, Master Dances with Balrog would be so angry,_ Replex thought to himself. Slowly, he tried to shift his body from his original position and managed to sit upright on his bed.

"Hey, don't move too much, or the wound on your chest might reopen," cautioned Hikari, going to his bedside. "Seriously, why do I have to take care of you..." mumbled Hikari as she spun her dagger in one hand and a Steely in the other. Replex stared at her hands, making Hikari uneasy.

"W-Why are you staring?" she asked.

"Oh? Sorry. I'm just wondering. Are you a left-hand user or a right-hand user?" replied Replex, adjusting the cast on his broken arm slightly.

"I'm a left-hand user, that's why the Rubian Mark is on my left. But after some self-training, I managed to use both my hands separately for weapon use. I don't want to be restricted to using only one hand as my weapon hand after all," explained Hikari. She was rather taken aback at the sight of Replex thinking hard, putting on a serious face.

"O-Oi... You're not thinking of training your left hand to hold your sword, are you?"

"Maybe," replied Replex, looking at his left hand. "I feel so useless not being able to fight because my main arm is disabled."

"It took me a long time to get used to it. But maybe you can do it faster than I can, you're a natural at this after all..." mumbled Hikari. Replex gave her a puzzled stare.

"You sound as if you've known me for a rather long time, Hikari."

"It's just a woman's intuition."

"You're still a teenager."

"And so are you, so shut up and go back to sleep while waiting for the information from Leo and Weniry." Hikari snapped at Replex, a flustered look on her face. Replex smiled, lying back down onto his bed. His head was still aching, and he found himself drifting slowly to sleep.

Hikari took a second glance at the sleeping warrior. She muttered something in a foreign tongue to herself, before going to her own bed and lying down as well, taking a short nap.

* * *

><p>"Wake up!" Replex felt someone shaking him by the shoulders gently, and his eyes fluttered open. After groping around for his spectacles, Leo's face came into focus as he placed them on. "Are you fit enough to at least sit on your bed?" asked Leo with a frown on his face that secretly hid concern. Replex forced a smile onto his face despite the pain from his wound and his arm.<p>

"Yes," he replied, shifting himself. Hikari was leaning against the wall and Weniry was sitting on a nearby chair, holding a small collection of papers. "So you guys went information hunting huh? Any juicy bits about the crocodile?"

Weniry looked up from her paper, approaching the bed and glancing at everyone. "What Leo and I have collected -and summarized- is that the crocodile is a mutation of a Croc monster. Apparently there has been widespread pollution from adventurers who harm the crocodiles' environment. Enraged, a single Croc monster, as a result of the polluted water, mutated into a giant crocodile. While the water was purified again to sustain the monsters in the swamp as part of the ecological system, the mutation was irreversible and neither was the hate." Weniry paused for a moment, looking up from her papers.

"The villagers here have called the large Croc Dylie. They have asked many adventurers to try and get rid of it, but none of them have suceeded. But what I have noticed is that those who went to confront it, went as soloists instead of a group," explained Weniry.

"What you're suggesting is that since we're as a group, if we train harder we may be able to beat that thing?" Hikari asked. Weniry nodded in response. "Well, we need Replex to heal first. and even then, he'll still need to catch up to us in terms of training."

Replex frowned, staring at his broken arm. "Curse me, why was I so stupid? You guys go train first, don't wait for me, I'll think of something. Since I got myself into this mess, I'll get myself out of it," said Replex, looking away. Leo grabbed Hikari and Weniry by the shoulder and dragged them out of the room.

"Let's leave him alone. He wants some alone time," said Leo. "It's still afternoon according to the clock, let's get some training done."

"I'd hate to ditch Replex, but I guess he wants it this way. The dungeons nearby are full of monsters, we can use it as a training ground..." said Weniry, leading the trio to the cave.

Back at the inn, Replex curled up in his sitting position, hugging his legs close to his chest as much as possible without causing pain. "Dammit... I'm so useless," he cursed. A soft knock was heard on the door. "Come in," he said gruffly. The door opened with a creek, and Chrishrama walked in with his sack.

"Hello young warrior," he greeted, bowing his head slightly.

"Good day, sir. What brings you to my room?" replied Replex dully. Chrishrama smiled, taking a chair and sitting next to his bed.

"Are you upset that you are in your current state and cannot do anything?" he asked.

"... Yeah. I want to train. I want to train using my left arm and become stronger, but..."

"But?"

"What if that arm breaks too? Won't I become completely useless then?" Replex asked, turning and looking at Chrishrama, as if Chrishrama held the answer for him. Chrishrama smiled and closed his eyes.

"Your fear is holding you back, is it not? The fear of breaking your arm and not being able to do anything for your friends. But let me ask you, how would you know if you don't try?" Chrishrama said with a gentle tone.

"Nothing in this world will come without a price or without a risk. It's up to you to overcome your own barriers and soar even higher than you are," Chrishrama said, before getting up and leaving. Replex reached his left arm out, as if wanting to prevent him from leaving, but withdrew it meekly.

"How would I know if I don't try...? I don't want to be a burden to the others... _Ever_. Again." Replex clenched his left fist tightly, getting up from his bed. He winced as his chest wound stung him, but bore with it and -clumsily- pulled his sword out from its sheath with his left hand. It felt heavy again, like when he first carried it in his hands for the very first time.

"Ru, are you telling me that I need more training in order to completely grasp the way of the sword?" Replex asked, smiling at the gem on his sword. The gem glowed slightly in the middle, as if Ru was responding to him. Replex closed his eyes and pulled a soft smile.

"Alright, back to the basics we go! Basic vertical slice!" Replex shouted with enthusiasm, swinging his sword in a vertical motion repeatedly as practice.

_In order to get his left arm to adjust to the sword just like his right arm, he's putting his left arm through the same training his right arm originally went through... Pretty smart,_ thought Ru to himself as he silently observered. He let out a soft chuckle as Replex dropped his sword over and over again as his left hand could not grasp it as well as his right hand could. _If you could master the sword with both hands, then flexibility would be another trait you obtain, along with your natural talent,_ Ru said to himself, going to a corner while remaining invisible to Replex. He frowned when a certain thought crossed his mind, rubbing his chin with his finger.

_The thief Hikari... She is suspicious. I need to talk to Iruhi when the four are asleep later tonight. I can only hope Iruhi will answer my own questions and not be the stubborn little brat she was like last time,_ Ru sighed as he thought about Hikari's Rubian side. He heard a loud yelp from Replex and snapped his head up to see what happen. Replex was crouching on the ground, bending over his hand, sword left on the floor.

"Damn... Hand's gotten a cut... Argh! No pain no gain!" yelled Replex, riled up. Ru laughed at Replex and slapped his forehead.

_He sure is pumped up, that's good. For now... I'll wait for the moon to rise to the sky. _Ru quietly returned to his place in the Rubian gem, watching as Replex continued to swing his sword and practice.

* * *

><p>AN: Finally chapter 12! The theory about Kerning City and the swamp was made up by me, hehe... It doesn't really make sense I know. And don't you just love Replex, Weniry and Leo's reaction to Hikari 'skinning' the Jr. Necki? *shot* It's kinda gross in a way I guess... Anyhow, till the next update, stay sharp!


	13. Elimination

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics =_Thoughts

WildOrion: I had that theory for Kerning City for awhile now and Dylie. The skinning part was absolutely random. And you don't sound like a broken record. I'm glad that you like my story and I'll try to make it better! :)

Chapter 13: Elimination

* * *

><p>When Weniry, Leo and Hikari returned to the inn, the innkeeper informed them that Replex had left the inn earlier to train. Leo slapped his forehead, grumbling. "That fat idiot, he should be getting rest instead of going to train... Come on girls, we need to drag back our warrior," Leo grumbled, dragging his feet to the outskirts of Sleepywood. Hikari and Weniry trailed behind the bowman, whose walking pace seemed to be increasing every second.<p>

"Is it me, or does Leo worry over Replex like an older brother cares for his younger siblings?" Weniry whispered to Hikari.

"It would appear to be so. Look at his face, he's all worried," giggled Hikari. Leo turned back and growled at them.

"Aw shuddup, Hikari. I can hear ya, ya know that?" Leo snapped.

"Awww, what's with the cute manner of speech?" Hikari teased. Leo instantly clapped a hand over his mouth, blushing.

"Pardon me... I tend to talk like that when I get extremely annoyed by something..." explained Leo. His ears pricked up as he heard loud moaning from the ledge below him. He walked as close as he could to the ledge and glance down. He could make out a shape slicing several of the yellow monsters he saw earlier.

"Oh, it's a bunch of Evil Eyes. They're a bunch of monsters that only have one eye and usually have a silly grin on their faces," explained Weniry. "I heard from the locals here that they gather near the outskirts of the town, and deeper inside the Sleepywood dungeons, the Evil Eyes even have a nest to themselves."

Leo spotted a nearby rope ladder, leaping off the edge that he currently stood on and grabbing it. Slowly, he lowered himself down onto another platform that was formed and stuck fast in the walls of the tree. That platform was closer to the one below it where Leo spotted the bunch of Evil Eyes. Leo squinted his eyes a little and frowned.

"Replex, you blundering buffoon! Why the hell are you out here training instead of resting!" Leo yelled. The figure slashed at the final Evil Eye and watched as it let out a loud groan and fall to the ground, dead.

"I'm sorry, but you know I just _can't_ sit still for too long, Leo," replied Replex as he turned around, thrusting his sword into the ground. With his left hand, he waved at Leo. Hikari and Weniry joined Leo on the platform.

"You idiot! What if you hurt your left arm too, huh!" Leo cried out, jumping down and inspecting Replex's left arm. Replex wrenched his arm away from Leo, and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey, no pain no gain! Besides, I won't know till I try, right?" Replex answered with a cheeky grin on his face. Leo made a face, grabbing Replex by his shirt and holding him in a chokehold, rubbing his knuckle into Replex's head.

"Why you! You're always so reckless!" lectured Leo as he continued to rub his knuckles. Replex yelped in pain, and pushed the older boy off him.

"Hey, that hurt!" Replex protested, rubbing his head. Weniry laughed at the two boys' antics.

"Certainly like brothers, alright," Weniry said. Hikari merely sighed, shaking her head with a small smile on her face.

"He's an idiot alright," Hikari said, watching as Replex climbed up to the platform she and Weniry were sitting on. "The difference between him and an actual idiot is the hard work that Replex puts in, and that never-die attitude of his."

Replex smiled as he carried his sword in his left hand. "Thanks for the idea, Hikari," Replex said, flashing a wide grin. Hikari scoffed, turning away.

"I didn't give you any idea, you thought of it by yourself after observing my actions. Now go back to the inn and get some rest." Hikari got up quickly, leaping onto the wall. With a back-flip off the wall, she landed herself on the platform with the archway leading back to Sleepywood.

"Something's amiss about Hikari," Leo said as he climbed back up. "It feels as if she's hiding something about her current condition. Did any of you find the way she was walking strange?" Leo asked the other two. Replex and Weniry looked at each other for a brief moment, but shook their heads.

"Funny, I asked her previously during training and she said she was fine too... I could have sworn... I'm thinking too much I guess," Leo mumbled to himself, going back into Sleepywood with the others.

* * *

><p>After their dinner in the Sleepywood Inn, the group decided to turn in early so that they could train the next day. When night had fallen outside the World Tree and the teenagers and fallen into deep slumber, the gems on Replex's sword and Hikari's dagger started glowing. Ru emerged from the gem, and so did Iruhi.<p>

_You wanted to talk to me, my dear Ru?_ asked Iruhi, winking at Ru. Ru frowned at Iruhi.

_Don't flirt with me, Iruhi,_ Ru growled, glaring at Iruhi. Iruhi shrank back in mock fear.

_My my, quite the opposite of Replex, hmm? Well, back to business then. What is it you want to ask me?_ Iruhi said, her face still holding a small smile.

_It's about Hikari. She's hiding something, isn't she?_ Ru questioned, arms crossed. _I have a feeling she won't tell me if I ask her directily cause of her stubborness so I'll have to ask you instead. I don't like to hit girls, so come clean with me, Iruhi._

_I have no idea what you're talking about, Ru. Don't accuse my host bluntly like that._ Iruhi replied with a hint of anger in her voice.

_I have a feeling she knows more than she lets on, Iruhi. If that's the case, then about the past..._Ru hesitated to continue his words.

_Ru, you have no right to bring up the past, nor do you have the right to accuse Hikari of hiding anything. There may be something that she is hiding, but we can't force it out of her. It will only make her reject us more. Right now, we are to continue carrying out the orders we were given... From 'them' of course,_Iruhi spoke softly to Ru. Ru's hands balled into fists, before he relaxed them.

_It seems like you're as stubborn as ever. I guess I won't get anything out of you... Yet,_ spat Ru bitterly as he returned to his gem. Iruhi frowned, closing her eyes. With a sigh, she retreated back to her gem to get some sleep.

_What is that man thinking, accusing her like this? Hikari already has more than enough on her mind, though I don't know what. Why is she choosing to deny the truth, though?_ Iruhi thought to herself as she fell back asleep.

Ru however, stayed awake in his gem, biting his thumb as he thought of a way to make Iruhi spill the beans. _That Hikari is hiding something, I just know it! But just what is it that she's hiding?_

* * *

><p>The next week and five days were spent rather slowly. Replex continued training his left arm and went for regular checks to Chrishrama to check his chest injury and his right arm. Leo spent his time targeting the Evil Eyes right in the eye and developing his skills. Weniry did her training on and off, sometimes following Leo to train, sometimes goofing off in Sleepywood for some information gathering. Hikari slacked off in the inn, deciding to use Replex's shield as her personal dart board for her Steelies, which bounce off it harmlessly. It did not bother Replex personally, since he could not wield it at the same time currently. What annoyed him was when Hikari starting using his <em>hair<em> for target practice.

"Hikari, stop aiming at my hair!" yelled Replex as he sharpened the blade of his sword, using his feet to hold the handle. He flicked his ponytail out of harm's way as a Steely star missed it.

"I'm going for the edge, Replex. If you would just hold still..." Hikari closed one eye, aiming for the very tip of Replex's ponytail. An arrow flew past her face, barely touching the tip of her nose. She turned her head towards Leo, who was adjusting his bowstring in the corner of the room.

"Stop that already, Hikari. It's immature," chided Leo. Weniry looked up from her book and gave a nod in agreement. Hikari snorted, leaning back on her bed.

"Fine, whatever Leo," she grumbled.

"Don't you need to train, Hikari?" Weniry asked. Hikari opened one eye sleepily.

"Not really, I'm good. Speaking of which, what are our odds of beating that crocodile, Dylie?" Hikari asked, sitting up straight on her bed. Weniry closed her book and focused for a moment, thinking.

"I'd say we'll have a good chance. I have a strategy to beat that thing. Did Chrishrama say when your right arm is ready for combat again, Replex?" asked Weniry. Replex slid his sword back into its sheath as he turned to face Weniry.

"In about two more days and it should be completely alright for me to use it. Besides, I'm really comfortable with my left arm too. Almost as comfortable as using my right arm," Replex said in a slight bragging manner.

"Shut up Replex. Do you want a repeat of the previous accident and lose both arms for a long time?" snarled Leo. Replex snarled back.

"I'm not going to let that crocodile get me again, Leo," Replex said. Weniry sensed the atmosphere in the room became a bit heavy, and tried to lighten it up.

"Erm... Why don't we gather round here and I'll explain my strategy to you?"

"Do I have to listen Weniry~" Replex whined. A stern look from Weniry shut him up. "Yes, madam..." He sighed. Hikari yawned, getting up from her bed. Leo watched her movements closely, his eyes narrowing.

"Dude, I know I'm cute and all, but you don't have to check me out you know?" Hikari said, strolling over and sitting down.

"W-What! I'm not checking you out, you walking ego!" spluttered Leo. Replex roared with laughter, slapping his knee.

"Gosh, look at your face, Leo! It's completely red!" said Replex in between laughs. Leo growled at him, and Weniry held her hands up in front of both of their faces to stop them.

"Please boys, can we have a strategy session without practical? I don't need you guys to test the strategies on each other," Weniry pleaded, growing weary of their arguments.

"Let's just listen to Weniry, since she's the one who worries over our strategies and all, let's not cause her too much trouble," said Hikari, siding with Weniry. Both boys glared at each other intensely for a few seconds, before looking away and muttering a "sorry" to Weniry. Weniry smiled cheerfully at them.

"Apology accepted. I've went around asking the people here; they said that a crocodile's weakness is right between the eyes, as with most monsters. I suppose Dylie would have the same weakness too, since it IS a mutated crocodile. I suggest that while the three of us - Replex, Leo and myself- distract it, Hikari sneak up on it and stab it hard between the eyes," explained Weniry, drawing small figures on a piece of paper to illustrate her plan.

"Stab? I don't think one stab will do it in," Hikari said.

"As many times as you think it will need and as quickly as you can. Leo can try aiming for it too, just don't end up skewering Hikari in the process," Weniry replied, glancing at Leo from the corner of her eye. Leo held a wicked grin on his face.

"Skewer? That sounds very tempting... Do I get to barbeque her too?" Leo asked in an evil tone, his mouth curling into a devilish smirk. Colour vanished from Hikari's face and she ran out screaming in fear about Leo trying to eat her.

"Sheesh, I was only kidding... I'm not cannibal," Leo grumbled, upset that Hikari took him seriously.

"You know how Hikari believes almost anything, Leo," Replex sighed. "I'll go get her back," he said, getting up from his position. "Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless, **DAD**." Replex grinned at the bowman whose face - which was originally showing a face that was nagging at Replex - turned to one of pure horror. Replex quickly ran past the bowman and out of the inn.

"You damn idiot! Who wants to be your father!" roared the bowman from behind him. Replex grinned to himself.

"Boy, he's almost as fun to tease as Karamel is. But Karamel is still my number one big brother, no doubt of that~" Replex said cheerfully. "Now to hunt down that silly thief and talk to her."

* * *

><p>Replex walked out of the inn and looked around Sleepywood. The inn was located on a higher platform than the rest of the town, so it provided a good view. As he turned his gaze over to the entrance of the town where they first saw the floating monk, he saw Hikari talking to him. He jogged down to her, patting her on the back gently.<p>

"Hiya there, Hikari! Whatcha talking about?" Replex asked. Hikari turned around, startled.

"O-Oh? N-Nothing Replex. Why are you out here for?" Hikari stammered nervously.

"Huh? I came to get you back. Leo was joking when he said he was going to eat you, ya know?" Replex explained.

"Oh, he was? I thought he was serious..." said Hikari, breathing a sigh of relief. Replex's face was one of shock, with his jaw dropped.

_She really believed it!_ he screamed mentally to himself. He made a small coughing sound. "Are you alright though? Leo said your body may not be in top condition."

"Nonsense, I'm feeling fine. Well, maybe a bit queasy cause Leo said he wanted to eat me..." Hikari made a face, before she turned back to the floating monk. "Thanks for the information, Mr. Rememberer. You've confirmed my suspicions..." The Rememberer opened one eye slowly, staring hard at Replex.

"Be warned, young adventurers... Curiosity and silence may be the eventual reasons for broken bonds," The Rememberer said in a mystic voice. Replex tilted his head to the side, confused.

"Hmm? Do you understand what he means, Hikari?" Replex asked, taking a walk with Hikari back to the inn. Hikari apparently was in deep though. "Hikari? Hikari!" Replex said loudly, snapping his fingers in front of her face. Hikari jolted out of her thoughts, looking around.

"H-Huh? Oh sorry Replex, I was just thinking about something. But... I don't really get what The Rememberer meant, sorry," Hikari apologized, looking away. Replex frowned, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to face him. With his left hand, he tilted Hikari's chin up and looked into her eyes. This resulted in a strong red blush forming on Hikari's cheeks.

"W-What are you doing?" she whispered. Replex continued to stare into her eyes, before he frowned.

"You sure you're alright? Don't hide anything from us, Hikari."

"I-I'm fine! Positive!" Hikari replied, flailing her arms in a flustered manner. Replex sighed, letting go of her.

"I can't do that method as well as Karamel could... He would always stare into my eyes to see if I was lying, and he's always right whenever he says I'm lying. Let's go back to our room Hikari," Replex said with a cheerful smile. "And by the way, if there's anything that's bothering you, you can tell me, alright?" Replex flashed a cheerful grin, winking at Hikari as he climbed up the stairs to the inn. Another soft blush appeared on Hikari's cheeks and she touched her face as she entered the inn after Replex.

"Why am I feeling this? I shouldn't be..." she murmured softly under her breath. When the duo entered the room, Leo was still sitting on the floor with his bow, while Weniry was sleeping on her bed. Hikari instantly scooted behind Replex, glaring at Leo.

"I was joking, sorry!" Leo yelled, throwing his arms up into the air in exasperation. Hikari kept a stoic face, looking at Leo before going over to her bed.

"Okay. Please don't eat me when I'm asleep..."

"I SAID I was JOKING!"

Replex smiled at the two as he walked over to his bed. "So, are we going to tackle the monster in two days?" he asked Leo. Leo shook his head.

"Actually, four days. We need to get your right arm conditioned back first. I don't think it's highly recommended to jump straight into a fight right after your arm heals," Leo explained.

"Oh boo. Okay okay, I'll wait for it to heal up proper, Leo..." Replex hastily said, taking his pillow and hiding his face away from Leo, who was giving off a death aura at the poor warrior.

"You better, you-who-just-can't-sit-still-for-even-five-seconds," Leo threatened, sitting down on his bed as well. Replex rolled his eyes.

"I don't need such a long name, Leo, Replex Ruby Cosmos is long enough." Replex had to duck laughing as a pillow flew over his head and struck the wall behind him. He grabbed the pillow and chucked it back at Leo, who received it right in the face. Leo pulled the pillow away from his face, glaring at Replex with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"You want a pillow fight? You'll get one, Replex!" Leo yelled, chucking his pillow again. The two kept tossing their pillows at each other until...

"Will the both of you keep it down! We're trying to get some sleep here!" yelled both Weniry and Hikari, chucking their own pillows at the two boys.

"Pillow fight!" exclaimed Replex with glee. Hikari sighed and shook her head.

"So much for rest-" She was cut off in the middle of her sentence when a flying pillow from Weniry struck her in the face.

"That's it, it's war now, you three." Hikari put on her serious face before flinging the pillow randomly. The pillow fight continued until all four of the teenagers became exhausted and fell asleep on their beds in random positions.

* * *

><p>Four days passed in a flash, and Replex stepped back into the inn room, swinging his right arm freely in a circle.<p>

"Chrishrama says I'm free to use this arm for fighting! Furthermore, the wound on my chest has healed! It'll leave a scar though..." Replex said sheepishly. Hikari looked away from the window and walked slowly over to the door.

"Shall we get moving then? We ought to slay that stupid thing before anymore adventurers land in hot swamp water," Hikari said. Weniry shivered mockingly.

"That was a very bad joke, Hikari," she said. Hikari gave a shrug, walking out of the room.

"You guys go ahead first, I'll catch up to you guys later. Just meet me at the bridge place, kay?" Hikari said uneasily. Leo gave her a hard stare before walking off with the rest.

After a couple of falls as a result of being unable to cling onto the vines properly, the crew managed to climb their way up to the archway leading to the swamp. Hikari climbed onto the platform shortly after them.

"Sorry for the wait, guys, had to settle some stuff," Hikari apologised, following them through the archway. She held up a small bag in front of them. "Bait. Some salted meat from our supplies should be good enough. It's only a small bit, it's more of the smell that I'm trying to use."

"Pretty decent idea. We won't be able to get rid of it if we don't lure it out anyway," Weniry said. Hikari swung the bag in a circle motion, gathering momentum before she chucked it into the murky swamp waters. Seconds later, the ground beneath them trembled slightly as Dylie emerged from the waters with a huge splash, sending swamp water flying everywhere.

"I _so_ need a bathe later," complained Hikari as her pants got soaked with swamp water. She muttered "Haste" below her breath before she sped off, disappearing from sight. Replex pulled out his sword and shield, grinning with determination.

"Alright big boy, I've got some payback for you!" Replex dashed towards Dylie, being careful to avoid its swipes. He charged up mana in his sword and jumped nimbly onto Dylie's claws, swinging his sword down on Dylie's snout. A loud roar told him he had struck well, and he landed down safely and scooted backwards. Arrows flew out in pairs from behind him, striking Dylie in the belly.

"Double Shot, speedy style," Leo joked, going faster with every two arrows he pulled out of his quiver. Replex smirked, going closer to Dylie and slashing at whatever area was within his reach. Dylie roared with pain, clawing at Replex and Leo, who both leapt back with relative ease. Weniry stayed behind, blue spheres of mana forming around her being. Her eyes snapped open suddenly as she thrust her staff in a forward motion and all the spheres flew in that direction towards Dylie.

"Energy Bolt en masse!" she shouted. Dylie spun to her direction away from Replex, and deflected the Energy Bolts with its claws. "I guess magic doesn't really work on its tough leather..." Weniry mumbled, laughing weakly. Just before Dylie reached out to grab the magician, Replex quickly drove his sword into Dylie's body again, and pulled it out just as quickly. He quickly scooted to the side to avoid the mad swiping that the enraged crocodile was doing.

"Just where the hell is Hikari!" yelled Replex. "The thief is sure taking her own sweet time!"

As if by magic, a black substance shot out from between Dylie's eyes as a dagger was impaled deep into its skin. A cloud of smoke appeared right on Dylie's head and Hikari came out from the cloud. "Sorry about that, had a bit of trouble climbing on- Woah!" Hikari let out a surprised yell as she literally had to dance to keep her balance on Dylie's head, who was tossing about in pain. Suddenly, she slipped and lost her balance, and was flung aside by Dylie's snout. Bits of rotten wood shattered and cut her skin as she landed on a rotten log.

"I-I can't move... U-ugh.. My back..." Hikari groaned, rubbing her back gently. She did not notice that Dylie had changed its attention to her as a meal. Replex, Leo and Weniry panicked, randomly injuring it to try and bring its attention away from Hikari.

"Hey, bright eyes! Over here dammit!" Replex yelled, opening his pouch and slipping the Boomerang Support onto his shield before tossing it. Dylie ducked, before turning and roaring at Replex. Before either could blink, ice has started accumulating at Dylie's feet, freezing it to the ground. Dylie turned to Weniry, the mastermind behind the ice. Weniry pulled her cheeks and stuck her tongue out before running away to another side.

"Can't catch me, stupid Dylie!" Weniry insulted, hearing another angry roar. Dylie turned back to find Hikari, only to see her missing from the spot she was previously lying at. Weniry breathed a sigh of relief as Leo brought Hikari back to her sneakily without Dylie noticing.

"Good job Leo," she commented, starting to heal the wounded thief. Leo gave a brief nod before going back to join Replex. Replex was leaping from broken plank to broken plank, before he back-flipped and delivered a hard kick to the underside of Dylie's snout. As he landed, he heard a satisfying "Clank!", which notified him that his shield had finished its return trip. He looked up at Dylie and saw him staggering, dizzy from the impact.

"Geesh, I wonder how many more enemies are going to fall for that? Leo, we'll leave it to you!" Replex yelled as he grabbed his shield back. Leo gave him a thumbs-up, his eyes narrowing as he drew his bowstring and nocked an arrow. The arrowhead blazed with blue energy as he released it with a loud war cry.

"Arrow Blow!" he yelled as it flew through the air. Dylie roared in pain as the shot struck it hard between the eyes. More black substance poured out, and Dylie let out a mournful cry before its body burned to ashes. Hikari's Rubian Dagger fell before Leo, along with a black charm.

"Well, that's over, the swamp should return back to normal... But the way it disappeared is strange, and what is this black charm?" Leo asked. Weniry placed one of Hikari's arms around her shoulder and slowly helped her walk over. Hikari pocketed her dagger and peered closely at the charm.

"That monster didn't mutate. It was placed in the swamp on purpose. That's why it didn't spill blood, but instead it spilled that black substance which was probably black magic. There's someone else behind the scenes doing this. The swamp hasn't returned to normal yet, there's still that monster's stench around," growled Hikari lowly. Replex came over, a scowl on his face.

"Well, that's awfully mean. Let's bring this black charm back to The Rememberer, he may know something," Replex said, picking up the charm. Instantly, the Rubian Marks on their hands started glowing brightly in response to the charm. The charm shook wildly in the air, before bursting into ashes and releasing a bright light, blinding the crew. When the light had died down, Hikari was the first to open her eyes and she let out an audible gasp.

"My gosh! The swamp... is back to normal now!" she cried out. The rest opened their eyes and saw a distinct change in the swamp's atmosphere. There were lesser rotten logs for one, and the water had become clearer than before. It was still swamp water, though. The bridge connecting Kerning to Sleepywood had also been magically repaired.

"Certainly looks better... Hoi Weniry, pass Hikari to me," Replex said and lifted Hikari into his arms bridal style. Hikari gave a small squeak and started blabbering incomprehensible words out of her mouth as her face turned red with embarrassment. Everyone except her burst out laughing at the poor thief whose back was still injured.

"You know something Hikari? If you acted cuter like the way you did just now, I may actually take more than just a liking to you," tease Replex playfully. He had to bear with a sore cheek for the walk back to Sleepywood, for that comment he said earned him a hard slap from Hikari.

* * *

><p>AN: Another fight scene, yay! And when Jin says Hikari believes everything, she REALLY believes everything. One of my more, chillin' out chapters. And a mini scene for your entertainment (or not).

* * *

><p>Karamel: Yo Replex!<p>

Replex: *freaks out, spilling coffee on his newspaper* Where did you come from!

Karamel: The ship to Ossyeria. It's chilling out time, of course I can come here. And I have a question for you.

Replex: ?

Karamel: You remember that match you had with Leo? How did you slip those Boomerang Supports on without either Weniry or Leo noticing?

Replex: Oh that. I had them on the shield the whole time. I just slid the 'wing' parts of the supports behind the shield to hide them.

Karamel: You cheater.

Replex: Shhh... Leo will kill me if he finds out.

Leo: I can hear you from a mile away! Get back here you rotten-

* * *

><p>AN: Now you know how Replex got those supports on the shield, Weniry. That's not the actual answer actually. Till the next update, stay sharp!


	14. Into the Dungeons

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Chapter 14: Into the Dungeons!

* * *

><p>When the group got back into Sleepywood, they met very happy folks who were grateful to them for getting rid of Dylie. After managing to escape the many thanks they were receiving, Replex placed Hikari gently onto her bed while Weniry continued healing her with her magic. Leo crossed his arms and glared at Hikari in a stern manner.<p>

"I'm sick of this - Hikari, what are you hiding from us? There's something that isn't right about you," Leo demanded. Hikari looked blankly at Leo for a moment, before closing her eyes.

"Fine, I'll just tell you, it ain't a big matter anyway. I twisted my ankle when we first leapt through the archway and have been walking with it ever since. That was also the reason why I walked slower and slipped on Dylie just now. There, you happy now?" Hikari snapped. Moments later she felt a stinging pain on top of her head where Leo had just punched with his fist.

"Ow! That hurt you-"

"You idiot! Why didn't you inform us! There you go pushing yourself!" scolded Leo, his face filled with fury as Replex restrained the older boy from hitting Hikari more. He relaxed and his face turned into a sad one. "What would I do if you had landed in a situation like Replex? It isn't easy being the oldest here you know..." he mumbled. Hikari rubbed the bruise on her head.

"Sorry bro..." she said in an apologetic manner. Leo sighed, shrugging off Replex.

"Weniry, help Hikari to bandage up her ankle. After that, we can all take a good rest for our efforts. We'll wake up at dinner time to eat and discuss our plans," ordered Leo. Weniry nodded, grabbing the bandages and assisted Hikari in wrapping her ankle. Replex patted Leo on the shoulder gently.

"Dude, take it easy," he said. "There ain't a reason for you to take on the big brother role all by yourself. We can all share our burdens, yeah?" Leo thought for a moment, before brushing Replex's hand off his shoulder.

"Maybe. You should get some rest too you know? Good job on today..." Leo took just another step before collapsing into Replex's arms, exhausted. Replex merely smiled.

"You're the one who pushed yourself too much Leo, not any of us," Replex said softly, carrying Leo with ease to his bed and covering him. He looked over to Weniry and Hikari.

"Hey girls, get some shut-eye too. We better step things up, can't make Leo worry too much, yeah?" Replex said, grinning cheerfully. Weniry smiled, walking over to Leo, who was sound asleep. She gave a small giggle.

"I guess he used too much of his energy just now to fuel his attacks. Even though he's the most experience one in terms of actual fighting, he still has his limits after all," said Weniry, brushing Leo's hair away from his face. She then placed the book she was carrying on her back by her bedside and laid her head on the pillow after removing her glasses, blurring her vision.

Replex smiled as both girls decided to take a rest. He undid his ponytail, resting his arms behind his head as he laid back to think.

_Why would someone put Dylie in Kerning Swamp? Was it to aggravate the citizens? What would they get from doing that? Was it to cause havoc? And I'm still confused by The Rememberer's words. What does he mean that curiosity and silence will end up breaking bonds? Arrgh, I can't think... _Replex shook his head as the information ran through his mind.

_I think I'll get some sleep first,_ Replex thought to himself, closing his eyes and slowly dozing to dreamland.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, the group gathered at the inn restaurant to eat their dinner. Hikari limped her way over to the table, rubbing her back.<p>

"How embarrassing though... to end up in such a pathetic state," mumbled Hikari as she pulled out one of the manuals Jin had given her when they left Kerning City. She started reading up on the skills of a bandit.

"We all make mistakes, Hikari. Well guys, what should we do after this?" asked Weniry, giving Hikari a comforting smile. Leo gave a shrug, looking at Replex.

"Well, before we discuss that, where did you guys train without me?" asked Replex.

"The Sleepywood Dungeons. There are various monsters down there, but we didn't go in that far 'cause we needed to return," Leo replied, taking a sip of coffee, having finished his meal already.

"Hmm... Then how about we go deeper inside to explore? Wouldn't that be fun?" proposed Replex with glee. Hikari snapped her head up from her manual so suddenly it startled Weniry.

"S-Something wrong Hikari?" she asked.

"I... honestly don't think it's a good idea," Hikari said, grabbing her glass of juice and downing it in one gulp. Replex made a sulky face for a second, before reverting back to his grin.

"Ahh, it'll be fine, I'm sure. Besides, if we have each other, I'm sure we'll be safe inside there!" Replex said. Hikari sighed and shook her head.

"Fine fine, if you say so," Hikari mumbled, returning to her manual. Leo clapped his hands together, straightening his sitting position.

"Very well then, we'll go explore into the dungeons tomorrow, as much as I oppose to the idea..." Leo said reluctantly. Replex pumped his fist into the air.

"Oh yeah! I can smell adventure already!" He exclaimed. Weniry shook her head. That warrior who she first met in Ellinia has hardly changed. Well, not that she remembered that he had changed much anyway. She tucked into her meals silently as she thought about the black charm that was dropped by Dylie.

_It burned to ashes the moment it was picked up by Replex. On top of that, our Rubian Marks also reacted to it... I wonder why? Is it because of the legend that the Rubian Jewel itself houses a great evil? Could be I guess_, Weniry's thoughts ran through her mind like a rapid train, and she shook her head gently. She looked at Leo, who was resting back in his chair rather relaxed.

"Hmm... We didn't really use up any of our resources, we didn't eat the meat nor did we use a lot of our potions. I'll go sell the drops we got from the monsters to the shop owner." Weniry got up from her seat and grabbed Replex's pouch to sell the extra items they had. Leo watched her closely, observing her actions.

"Do you guys want to try out the sauna later? They have sauna robes for rent, so while we chill out a bit, we can also just have a nice chat there," Leo offered. Hikari shook her head.

"It's a nice offer, but I'll decline it," Hikari said, getting up. "I'll be in our room studying the skills for a Bandit. See you guys later." With that, she left the table and returned back to their room. Leo scowled slightly.

"Still a bit anti-social..." he grumbled. Replex grinned at him, patting him on the back.

"I guess I'll go with ya. What about you, Weniry?" Replex turned his head as he asked the magician. Weniry gave a short nod.

"It sounds really good and relaxing. I wonder why Hikari doesn't want to go for it though."

"Maybe she just doesn't like the heat?" Replex joked, chuckling softly.

"Maybe she just doesn't like being with you, Replex."

"Dammit Leo, that was low!" yelled Replex and he jokingly choked the older elf. Weniry smiled at Replex's playfulness.

"I can never understand how you can change from such playfulness to being serious, Replex," she muttered to herself.

"Now then, should we get going to the sauna before it closes?" Weniry asked. Replex stopped trying to choke Leo and stood up.

"Come on Leo, or we'll leave you behind~" Replex said teasingly.

"Shut up, Replex," snapped Leo, leading the two to the sauna anyway.

Meanwhile, Hikari was sitting in her room when she saw a bright light emerging from Replex's sword.

"Hmmm..." she hummed softly, staring at the light. Ru emerged from the gem, with a tight frown on his face.

"Who are you?" asked Hikari. Ru slapped his forehead.

_Don't try and fake it, Hikari, _Ru snapped meanly. Hikari cocked an eyebrow.

"Har har, yeah I'm joking. Now seriously, who are you?" Hikari asked again.

_... I'm Ru, Replex's Rubian side. I want a few answers from you,_ Ru replied, his being floating to in front of Hikari. _Though I can't hit you like this, I'd rather not possess Replex's body and beat the hell out of you. The first reason is because I don't really like bashing girls up, the second is because I rather not bother Replex because of this._

"Aren't you caring?" said Hikari with sarcasm. "What do you want, Ru?"

_I know you're hiding something, Hikari, and I have a feeling I don't like it,_ Ru growled at Hikari. Hikari closed her eyes, before opening them.

"Hmm, maybe I am. Thieves are a secretive bunch after all," Hikari replied, leaning back on her pillow.

_Listen, I want you to tell me what you know, 'cause your Rubian side is just too darn stubborn._

"If my Rubian side is too stubborn, what makes you think I will?"

_Point taken, but that's not the point here. What I'm saying is that you have, and you __will__ tell me the truth. What are you hiding!_

"Hmm... If I tell you, you must promise to not tell anyone. Not. Even. Replex." Hikari glared at Ru fiercely, a sign that she meant business when she said that. Ru folded his arms.

_Sure... If my hunch is correct on what you're hiding, then by my orders, I'm not allowed to say anything at all._

"Don't know what you mean by orders, but I'll tell you what I'm hiding. I'm hiding-" Hikari was cut off when she heard knocking on the door.

"Hikari, we're back! Can we come in?" Replex's voice came from behind the door.

_"_You fool, it's our room," said Leo from behind the door.

"What if she's changing huh?" Replex snapped back, and silence fell.

_Dammit, an interruption..._ Ru grumbled.

"You can't appear in front of them?" Hikari asked.

_By right, I'm not allowed to. Rubian sides are not allowed to appear in front of anyone except our hosts... unless it's an emergency. You got lucky... this time,_ Ru said, disappearing into red sparkles.

Hikari gave a shrug. "Well, it's not like it's a big secret of mine... I was just hiding a stash of personal sweets. I sure didn't want them to find out I have a sweet tooth, it would be so embarrassing," Hikari sighed, turning to the door.

"Yeah, come in guys, sorry to keep you waiting," she called out. The door opened and Replex, Weniry and Leo walked in.

"Man that felt good. Hikari, you missed out!" Weniry said with a pleasant sigh escaping her lips. Hikari gave a shrug.

"I'm not really that fond of saunas," Hikari explained.

"I could have sworn I heard you talking to someone, Hikari," claimed Leo as he sat down on his bed, cleaning his long ears with a piece of tissue paper. Hikari gave a mysterious smile.

"Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps I'm going insane and I was talking to nobody in particular," Hikari said. Leo rolled his eyes.

"If you're insane, I'm already mental beyond repair," Leo said sarcastically. Weniry gave a small giggle.

"We should all get some rest, right?" Weniry asked, climbing into her bed. Replex nodded, climbing into his as well.

"Well, good night guys!"

* * *

><p>The next morning, everyone had gathered at the entrance to the Sleepywood dungeons, which was a large stump with a wide opening carved in it. Replex smirked, cracking his knuckles.<p>

"Alright then, let's get going!" he cried out, pumping his fist into the air. Leo shook his head, taking the lead and going in first. The cave was dimly lit with a few torches. The only available path seemed to be snaking deeper into the underground.

"It's dark in here though... Weniry, we'll leave it to you," said Leo. Weniry nodded, and pulled out her staff, concentrating. A burst of fire was seen at the top of her staff above the red jewel.

"Alright then, we better stick together then. We don't need to get lost and separated from each other," advised Weniry, leading the way with her torch.

The cave was eerily silent; the sounds of water dripping from the stalactites and falling to the ground were crystal-clear. Their steps echoed in the dark cave. They could hear low growling from the darkness of the dungeons where the light from Weniry's flames could not reach.

"It seems like the fire is keeping the Horney Mushrooms and Zombie Mushrooms at bay. It didn't happen last time cause we trained near the entrance..." observed Leo, as he glared back at a bunch of glowing eyes in the darkness. The owner of the eyes gave a scared squeal and disappeared.

"Gee, that glare of yours scares off even monsters huh?" Replex said, giving a raised eyebrow. He turned away to avoid the death glare that Leo was giving him.

Crunch!

"Eek!" Hikari let out a ear piercing scream and hugged onto Replex's arm, shaking in fear. Replex winced from the scream and looked at the shivering girl. Leo and Weniry halted their movements and turned behind to look too.

"What's the matter? Getting cold feet?" asked Replex. Hikari pointed a shaking finger to the ground.

"B-B-Bones... S-Skeletons," she stuttered weakly. Weniry directed the orb of flame downwards and let out a loud scream as well. Replex's face turned pale as he saw the large amounts of bones and skulls on the ground.

"W-We're walking on a bunch of dead people..." he stammered.

"It's not surprising... I heard that many adventurers get lost in these dungeons and never make it out," Leo said, trying to keep himself calm. "We'll be fine as long as Weniry can keep the light source going, there's no need to be afraid."

Hikari gave a small whimper. "I-I don't like things like these... I hate ghosts..." she said, trying to keep a straight face. Replex gave a sigh, patting Hikari's head gently.

"Stick close to me then, and just don't think about it," offered Replex. Hikari gave a small blush, continuing to hug Replex's arm in utter fear. Weniry giggled softly, continuing to walk forward.

"You know Replex, you're acting like an older brother," she said. Replex grinned softly.

"Karamel doesn't really like ghosts too. I don't believe in those kinda stuff, so I often have to be there for him when he thinks there's a ghost around at night," explained Replex, looking down at Hikari.

"I believe there's a certain limit where adventurers couldn't pass because of the extreme lack of light," said Leo. "And I believe that limit is here."

The group pass into an extremely dark cavern. Soft sounds of wings flapping could be heard in the silence.

"Weniry, could you make the fire bigger? Will it exhaust you too much?" asked Leo.

"It'll be alright. As long as I'm not using it for combat, maintaining a fire is easy," Weniry said happily, making the fire bigger. Replex gave a small chuckle.

"Well, at least you have better control than last time back in Ellinia," said Replex. Weniry blushed, rubbing the back of her head.

Leo smiled for a minute, but frowned suddenly as he had to duck to avoid something flying over his head.

"Tch!" he scowled, pulling his bow out. He closed his eyes and focused, listening to the sound of the flapping wings before releasing his arrow. A loud screech was heard before the sound of a limp body dropping to the ground before them was heard. Weniry walked forward, motioning the rest to follow her. As the light illuminated the ground around her, a purple bat with something that appears to be a black mask over its face came into their view.

"Oh, I didn't know Stirges live in the dungeons too," said Hikari, calmer, but still hugging onto Replex's arm.

"Stirges?" Replex asked.

"Yeah, it's a bat-looking monster that like to fly around and can be really hard to hit 'cause they are so mobile. Don't point that fire upwards Weniry, I have a feeling a whole bunch of them are hiding up on the ceiling," said Hikari. Weniry tilted her head to the side.

"How would you know, Hikari?" asked Weniry, curious.

"Weniry, they are still bats!" Hikari cried out, throwing her arms up in exasperation. Her voice echoed through the cave and many flapping sounds could be heard.

"Oh shit... Guys, run forward and don't look back or up no matter what you do!" Hikari yelled, running forward. In spite of being confused by Hikari's instructions, the group ran forward with Hikari.

"Why the sudden haste, Hikari?" questioned Leo as he caught up to the thief.

"Trust me, Stirges aren't friendly monsters when their sleep is disturbed. I accidently disturbed a whole group in the Kerning Subway once, and I didn't turn out too well after that."

"Okay that's one reason, but why can't we turn around?" Leo asked again.

"You can, but it's freaky. Stirges have red eyes that glow in the dark when mad... And it's seriously freaky!" Hikari yelled. Curious, Replex, Weniry and Leo turned their heads back. A look of horror was etched onto their faces as they saw multiple pairs of glowing red eyes in the darkness, the Stirges' body barely visible from the light of Weniry's flame.

"Holy cow, that's IS scary!" yelled Replex, running faster.

"Just a bit more, I can see a light ahead! It's probably the exit of this cave!" screamed Weniry. As they passed the exit of the cave, a bright light from the flames of the torches that hung all over the place greeted them. The Stirges, fearing the light, fled back into their dark cave.

"This place is surprisingly bright," remarked Weniry.

"Why of course! This place has to be bright for my business!" The group covered their ears in pain as a loud voice reached their ears. Hikari looked up and saw a man with sunglasses sitting in a van nearby.

"It's been a long time since there have been adventurers brave enough to pass the Dark Cave, home of the Stirges! Most go back screaming!" the man yelled through a bullhorn, amplifying the volume of his voice several times. Leo stuck his fingers into his ears, annoyance written all over his face.

"Dude! There's no need for the bullhorn, we can hear you!" he yelled. The mysterious man put down the bullhorn and placed his hands on his hips.

"It seriously has been a long time since I saw people down here. This place is lit brightly as it serves as a place for business for me. Further down we have the Evil Eyes Cave, if you're interested. But if you are determined to reach till the end of the dungeons, I recommend buying a Return Scroll or four," he said.

"Not many survive all the way though, cause there are fierce Drakes down there," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Dude, who are you?" asked Leo.

"I'm the owner of the 24-Hour Mobile Shop! Call me Vann!"

_That's... not very creative,_ Replex thought. He turned to face Weniry, whose mind was deep in thought.

"Well, Mr. Vann, do you have any scrolls for the nearest town?" Weniry inquired, pulling out the money pouch. Vann took out 4 grey scrolls from his van.

"It'll be 1600 mesos in total, young miss. A wise choice though," Vann chuckled. Weniry handed the mesos over, passing the scrolls to Replex.

"You can never be too careful in unknown territory," said Weniry. Replex kept the scrolls in his pouch safely.

"Well, be warned. Don't enter the Cursed Sanctuary if you value your lives," warned Vann.

"We'll keep your warning in mind," replied Hikari, finally letting go of Replex's arm. Replex spun his arm in a circle a couple of times.

"Aaah finally the blood can flow back into my arm," said Replex.

"I didn't hug that tightly did I?" asked Hikari, looking away as a red blush formed on her face.

"A little, but I guess it's understandable cause you were scared and all," said Replex cheerfully. Hikari blushed, turning away as steam came out of her head.

"Erm Hikari? There's steam coming out of your head," stated Weniry in concern. Hikari slapped her cheeks gently, shaking her head.

"I-It's nothing, really... I'm just worried for the trip forward," Hikari hesitated for a moment, putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

"If there's something on your mind, state it loud and clear," Leo said impatiently. Hikari shook her head, saying it was nothing. Leo gave a shrug, pulling out his bow and taking a deep breath.

"I bet the Evil Eye Cave is going to be fairly dark... Can you use magic while maintaining the flame?" Leo asked.

"Yes, but I'll have to constantly use the Blue Potions. We have a large stock of that with some Mana Elixirs that we bought from the Sleepywood inn, so I'll be fine," assured Weniry.

"Well, good luck on your trip, you four!" cheered Vann, waving to the group as they proceeded downwards into the dungeon. He gave a small frown after they left. "I only hope those teenagers make it out alive... A beast lays dormant in that sanctuary..."

* * *

><p>After a short walk down, the group began noticing more eggs around. Weird, pale yellow eggs with funky stripes around it. Hikari took a seat on one of the rocks.<p>

"Anyone hungry? If my sense of time hasn't failed me, it's about noon right now," Hikari asked, pulling the bag of food Jin had given her from nowhere.

"I suppose we could all use a short break and a snack," Leo sighed, sitting down as well. Replex grinned and sat in a cross-legged fashion, followed by Weniry. Hikari took several strips of preserved wild boar meat and handed it out.

"Mmm... Crunchy and tasty," commented Replex as he took a bite out of it.

"Well, Jin preserved it, so it has to be good," replied Hikari, taking a bite out of hers, chewing slowly. "Damn, it's a bit hard though, for some reason."

"Well, let's just thank our stars Master Jin looks out for us and gave us preserved food," said Weniry, munching on her strips happily. A smile crept onto Hikari's face, before she reverted back to her normal, cold face.

"You know guys, The Rememberer said something strange to me and Hikari the other day," Replex said, still eating. "He said something like... Curiosity and silence... erm..."

"Curiosity and silence may be the eventual reasons for broken bonds," completed Hikari. Weniry looked at Hikari, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"You sure you don't understand those words Hikari? I mean, you seem to be thinking about them very much," asked Weniry. Hikari shook her head.

"Nah, I don't at all, Weniry. Anyway, are we done?" Hikari asked the others.

_Quick way to change the subject, Hikari,_ thought Weniry, frowning. She got up anyway, relighting the fire on her staff. Leo readied his bow while Replex pulled out his sword. Soft growling could be heard from where they were, a short distance from the Evil Eye Cave.

"Growling... Those sounds from that cave sound very aggressive," Leo hissed. "Be on your guard you three, we may be assaulted. Weniry, go behind us, we don't need out light source being snuffed out," Leo ordered. Weniry shifted behind quickly, holding her staff high as they entered the Evil Eye Cave.

More growls greeted them as the yellow Evil Eyes came into the shine of the flame. Hikari's eyes darted around. Broken egg shells littered the walls of the cave, and the path was slopping downwards with a steep gradient.

"This is not very advantageous to Replex... Leo and I have a better advantage here with the angle of the path we're standing on," explained Hikari with gritted teeth, Steelies appearing between her fingers.

"Then I'll be your shield then," said Replex, pulling out his shield as well. "Can you guys hit from behind me?"

"We can go crazy with such a steep gradient, Replex, " said Leo. "Keep an eye for your back too, Weniry."

"Roger, Leo," replied Weniry. Hikari's eyes narrowed as more Evil Eyes came into view.

"It seemed like someone... or something angered them. Evil Eyes are traditionally never this aggressive. We're in for a rough run down, guys," muttered Hikari.

"I heard Evil Eyes can be quite docile; and thus they become easier prey for adventurers. But it becomes a totally different story when they are angered," Weniry informed, curling her fingers around her staff tighter.

The Evil Eyes gathered closer, eyes fierce and baring their teeth, crouching low in an offensive stance as if they were about to leap. Neither side moved an inch, creating a heavy atmosphere and tension.

The silence shattered with loud, echoing battle cries, the sound of arrows and throwing-stars piercing the air and stabbing their targets.

* * *

><p>AN: Oh ho ho~ Hikari is afraid of scary things. I'm so not creative with the name for the owner of the 24-Hour Mobile shop. As always, stay sharp till the next update.


	15. Cursed Sanctuary

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Chapter 15:Cursed Sanctuary

* * *

><p>The Evil Eyes let out loud groans as they fell prey to Leo and Hikari's onslaught of arrows and Steelies. Replex made a break for it, dashing downward with his shield out as he swiftly slashed the monsters around him. The monsters either fell dead or were blown back into the walls of the cave by the force of Replex's slashing.<p>

"Come on, let's go! Hikari, cover Weniry from the back in case they decide to spring an attack on her!" Leo commanded as he dashed after Replex. Hikari back-flipped over Weniry as she ran forward, and tossed several stars in front of the Evil Eyes to keep them at bay before she tailed after the running trio.

"They just keep coming!" Replex cursed, charging through the mob of Evil Eyes. Sweat poured down the sides of his face, signs of fatigue evident on it. Weniry noticed a subtle difference in the amount of monsters that Replex was killing or pushing away, it was slightly larger number than before. When she saw the exhaustion on Replex's face, it struck her immediately.

"Replex, don't use Slash Blast continously, it'll only use up your stamina!" warned Weniry. Replex gave a playful grin, throwing a large number of Evil Eyes away into the wall with his sword.

"Re...lax," he panted hard as he continued to run. "The... exit is nearby." Replex used his head to gesture to the rest a small opening in the wall. Using a final burst of strength and mana, he widened his steps as he swung his sword from the ground to the air, letting off an explosive amount of energy which cleared the Evil Eyes that were blocking the opening in the wall. The party made haste and quickly squeezed their way through.

"Strange, the monsters aren't following... It's as if they're scared of what's to come," observed Hikari. Leo walked a few steps forward to a ledge and looked down, before walking back to the group.

"They should be; there's a bunch of drakes down there," he said in between pants.

"Drakes? I occasionally see fire-breathing ones near Perion..." panted Replex, who fell onto his rear and was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "I think I used up a bit too much of my stamina to power up Slash Blast..." Weniry dug around in his pouch for a moment, pulling out a bottle of white liquid.

"Remember this, Replex?" Weniry said, shaking the bottle in front of Replex.

"How could I not? I drank that back in Ellinia after that stupid King Slime incident," replied Replex with a tired smile. Weniry uncorked the bottle, putting it to Replex's lips. He took the bottle from her, drinking it slowly.

"Take your time to recuperate, silly. We still need to think of a way to get past the Drakes," said Leo sternly, going close to the ledge so that he could observe the Drakes' movement. Replex smiled, his strength returning to him as he drank the White Potion.

"Drakes are pretty docile among their own kind... But the moment they spot prey, it becomes a totally different story. They're pretty speedy too, so it would be unwise to outrun them," mumbled Leo as he gazed over the Drakes who were lazing around below them.

"They look pretty lazy now, but the minute we appear... I bet we'll be targeted like tasty meals... or snacks in Hikari's case since she's so small," joked Leo.

"Shuddup. It seems to be evening, considering the colour of the ray of light that's coming through the ceiling over there," snapped Hikari as she pointed out a small ray of light in the far corner. "I bet that leads to the surface... The ray seems rather orange-yellow, don't you think? Not something you'll expect in the afternoon, so it must be getting late."

"True. It took awhile to get past those Evil Eyes, and we entered their cave in the late afternoon, close to evening. But something's bothering me," said Weniry, sitting down beside Hikari. "What could have agitated the Evil Eye so much that they would turn this aggressive? Most of the time they wouldn't attack, just go about minding their own business."

"Maybe someone came... and disturbed them," Hikari blurted out suddenly, her eyes closed in deep thought. "You never know who actually came before us. But since the Evil Eyes that were in the outskirts of Sleepywood remained their normal docile self, it could be the mastermind just agitated the Evil Eyes here... to act as a barrier against curious travellers."

"If that's the case, I would like to go deeper inside and give that person a taste of my mind! Doesn't mean they're monsters means we can just agitate them as and when we want! Even if we do kill them..." yelled Replex before he quieted down. Hikari's lips twitched slightly as she mumbled something in a foreign tongue.

"What was that, Hikari?" Leo asked.

"Oh nothing... It's just something Master Jin taught me awhile back," she hastily replied with a nervous look. Leo eyed her suspiciously before leaning back.

"You guys... want to take a nap before continuing?" proposed Leo as he leaned back on the wall. "The Drakes can't climb up to this ledge despite the ladder that leads down to them, since they're not very good climbers. The Evil Eye won't come because they are afraid of the Drakes. This spot is good for a bit of rest."

"I also noticed, along with the ray of light... that." Hikari pointed at the ceiling of the dungeon, where small chains dangled from the stalactites. "They're long enough to grab on from here... There's another ledge over there, up that wall that proceeds in deeper. We can swing over to it, it'll be a piece of cake."

"We're not thieves like you, Hikari," grumbled Leo. Hikari got up and walked over to the chain, doing a normal jump and reached out to the nearest chain and grabbed it, doing her best to stay silent as much as possible so as to not rouse the monsters below her. With ease, she jumped back onto the ledge and walked to them, sitting back down.

"I'm pretty sure all of us can at least perform that simple of a jump, Leo," said Hikari, removing her glasses and putting them in front of her. Leo gave a snort, before putting his glasses in front of him. He sat opposite Hikari, and the duo kept glaring at each other.

"Seems like Leo hasn't forgiven Hikari for hiding the truth about her ankle the other time," whispered Weniry to Replex. Replex nodded, laughing uneasily.

"Yeah. Let's all take a nap then guys," said Replex as he leaned back without taking his glasses off. Weniry removed hers and fell asleep on Hikari's shoulder. Hikari said nothing but gave a straight face when the magician leaned on her shoulder to sleep, but fell asleep as well. Replex smiled at the two girls, before he fell asleep while snoring softly.

* * *

><p>A while later, Replex woke up to the sounds of some mad flailing from Leo. He saw the older boy struggling to find his glasses. As he gave a small sigh, he took Leo's glasses and placed it gently in Leo's hand.<p>

"Here you go, bro," Replex said as he grinned from ear to ear. Leo mumbled out a small "thanks" while putting his glasses on. Gently, he shook Hikari and Weniry awake. As both girls yawned, the boys handed them their glasses, which the girls gratefully accepted. Hikari pulled out some raisins from the food bag along with some meat, distributing them evenly.

"It'll last us a bit more, I say..." mumble Hikari. Leo popped a few raisins into his mouth, munching slowly.

"Well, let's attempt to pass by the drakes without falling into them, shall we?" asked Leo, getting up, doing some stretches. Replex grinned, getting up too and stretching his legs. He distanced himself from the ledge before sprinting towards it. At the very tip of it, he pushed himself off and leapt to the chains, grabbing onto it with ease. Slowly, he swung himself over to the next one and the next, finding himself at the opposite side easily.

"It's quite easy guys, come on!" Replex called. Low growls, followed by roaring came from below them. The loud clanking of the chains had alerted the Drakes, and they are now snapping their jaws upwards at the crew. Luckily for them, the Drakes could not reach their current position.

"Woah... Weniry you're next, just don't look down," cautioned Leo. Weniry gave a shaky nod, jumping for the chains. She was successful with her attempt, and Replex caught her as she landed near him. Next up was Hikari, and before she jumped, she turned to Leo.

"Leo, if I fall, don't panic. I have a plan if I fall into the Drakes by some stupid accident, kay?" Hikari said, jumping for the chains. As she swung from chain to chain, she stuck her tongue at the Drakes. "Bleh, I'm not gonna be your snack today," she teased, flipping off the chain and landing beside Replex. She heard a soft 'thud' behind her, and turned around to see Leo dusting the dirt off his sleeves.

"You were right- that was really easy," commented Leo. Replex grinned. Weniry lit the flame on her staff again, walking deeper in.

"It seems that the rocks here are rather... blue in colour. And it's a bit cold too," said Weniry, shivering slightly. Her breath condensed into vapour in front of her. Hikari sighed, taking her jacket off and placing it around Weniry's shoulders.

"Here, use my jacket... I'm more tolerant to cold," Hikari offered. Weniry gave a smile, slipping her arms through the sleeves. She turned to the boys with a look of concern on her face.

"Will you two be alright?" she asked. Replex and Leo nodded, following behind Weniry. Weniry made the flame bigger and walked down slowly as the slope started becoming steeper. Soft growls echoed off the walls of the silent dungeon.

"More Drake-like growls... If I recall correctly, there are other types of Drakes. The ones that populate in such a cold environment could only be the Ice Drake or Dark Drake. Be on your guard, I don't think we can just swing over them like previously," Leo warned, pulling out his bow. Replex pulled out his sword, switching to a two-hand grip instead of his normal one-hand grip. Slowly and as silently as possible, they crept deeper into the cave. The ground gradually became level as well.

Suddenly, a white figure pounced on Replex. Replex was caught off guard and had to back off, but not without feeling a stinging bite on his elbow where he had felt something cold breathe onto it. Leo reacted fast and smacked the white figure away from Replex with his bow, whipping out an arrow from his quiver and firing it at the attacker. The arrow struck a vital point, and the attacker fell limp to the ground with a loud groan. Its shape was very familiar to them.

"This shape... is similar to an Evil Eye. It could be a Cold Eye. I'm surprised that there are some of these living in a Drake infested area," explained Weniry. She turned to Replex, who was rubbing his elbow gently. Weniry brought her staff lower to let the heat from the flame on her staff warm up the cold spot on Replex's elbow. Replex forced a smile, pushing the staff away gently.

"I'll be fine. It's just a bit numb, that's all," assured Replex as he swung his arm around for a bit, flexing his arm. Leo gave a soft sigh.

"We should be on guard. The monsters that dwell here may not approach us because of the flame we have, since they are not used to the fire. I heard from Mistress Athena that while this cold dwelling may be known as "The Cave that Lost Light", deeper down there is a light source that comes from above the ground. At least that's what Mistress Athena told me," said Leo, walking forward with an arrow ready on his bow.

He quickly skidded back, making the entire group back down as well as a group of about two to three ice-blue drakes came charging at them, roaring aggressively.

"Ice Drakes!" yelled Leo in alarm as he shot one Drake down right in the throat, instantly killing it, but the other two had seemed to ignore him and go for Replex and Weniry, who were just standing there.

_Wait a second, where's Hikari?_ he wondered as he could not see the thief anywhere. A sudden painful roar made him turn his gaze sharply to one of the Ice Drake as blood spurted out from the wound on its neck. Hikari appeared on top of the drake in a cloud of smoke, stabbing the neck of the Ice Drake rapidly twice in succession.

"Double Stab and..." She flipped onto the back of the Ice Drake, holding its neck tightly as it tried to buck her off. "Savage Blow!" She screamed as she slashed at the Ice Drake's neck six times in a circle pattern, finishing off with a character symbolising "Kill". Hikari leapt off the back of the drake as it fell to the ground, dead.

"I see, you snuck up on it using Dark Sight before using your dagger to kill them, right?" asked Weniry. Hikari cleaned the blood off her dagger, giving a small nod. Replex pulled out his sword, staring at the drakes momentarily before skinning them, pulling off their tough skin.

"I don't think Drake meat is edible," he said, keeping the skin. "But I heard Karamel say that dragon skin is a pretty tough and pricey material."

"Let's go further down. If any drakes come, go for the neck," ordered Leo as the party proceeded further into the dungeons.

* * *

><p>After several rounds of fighting off Ice and Dark Drakes, along with a few sneaky Cold Eyes, the party managed to get out of the cave to a narrow strip of rock that led to a half-opened stone door. Hikari sat down, catching her breath as she received her jacket from Weniry.<p>

"It would appear that we would have reached our destination... The Cursed Sanctuary."

The surroundings were dark and bleak, with blue rocks covering the wall. Below the strip of land they were standing on, it appeared that there was another entrance, but it was too far to confirm that. Before them there was a stone entrance to what seemed like an ancient shrine. Surrounding them were pillars of light that shone in through the ceiling.

"Light is shining in through the ground..." Leo said, panting hard as he leaned against the wall.

"You know, now that we've arrived and seen the Cursed Sanctuary, shouldn't we head back?" asked Hikari suddenly. She was suddenly sweating a lot, as if nervous.

"Hmm... You know, since we came all the way here, it wouldn't hurt to take a peek inside right? Why waste all the effort?" replied Replex. Weniry and Leo gave their nods in approval, and Hikari sat there dumbfounded, biting her thumb nervously.

"That place... just gives me a bad vibe, that's all," she said, tilting her head back to let the sweat ran off the tips of her hair.

"I wonder now... if by going out to explore, would I eventually find out about my destiny?" Replex whispered to himself as he stared at one of the pillars of light.

_Perhaps, but maybe not for another few years,_ Ru said into his head. Replex frowned, pulling his sword out and staring at the gem. The gem glowed in short flashes, as if laughing and teasing Replex.

"Smarty pants..." Replex muttered, sitting down as well. Weniry smiled, taking out a few White Potions and a Mana Elixir for herself. She drank it down with one gulp, feeling her body being rejuvenated with mana.

"Ahh... It feels good to drink a mana replenishing drink after maintaining that fire for such a long period," Weniry sighed pleasantly. She kept the bottle in Replex's bag, staring at the light that was streaming into the dungeon.

"Must have been some cracks in the ground that let the light in," said Leo, sipping his White Potion slowly, glancing over at Hikari, who was already taking a nap.

"God, she gets tired easily, huh?" Leo said, twitching slightly. "I guess Drakes were a bit tough, unless we attack the vital spot."

"Hmmm... I'm thinking of getting some extra training in before we go inside the sanctuary. Anyone want to join me?" Replex said, jabbing a finger at the entrance back into the Drakes area. Leo got up, pulling his green Rubian Bow out, polishing the red gem on it.

"I'll join you since Hikari's asleep over there," Leo said as he followed Replex. Weniry sat down beside Hikari, waiting for the boys to be out of earshot. She then shook Hikari gently.

"Hey, you're not really asleep, are you?" she whispered. Hikari frowned slightly, before her eyes snapped open.

"How did you know?" mumbled Hikari, sitting up. Weniry smiled, crossing her legs and putting her book in front of her, flipping the pages.

"Just a feeling. You wouldn't fall asleep that fast now, would you? Is something bothering you?" Weniry asked, flipping through the pages and landing on the page with a spell called "Bless" written on the very top.

"... The Cursed Sanctuary. It's a dangerous place that we shouldn't wander into," replied Hikari, folding her arms, taking out her dagger to polish it. "I'm getting a bad dark vibe from it."

"Is it because your name means light?"

"Maybe, that's why I'm sensitive to darkness," Hikari replied dryly. She slapped her forehead as she heard roaring from the cave and several loud surprised yells. "What are those two doing..." Weniry chuckled, studying.

"Training, simple enough."

"Let's just hope they don't return with a limb missing."

"Oh Hikari, don't be so mean."

"You do know that Drakes eat humans too right? They're not picky about their meat."

"..."

"Well shoot me in the head, let's go help them, Weniry."

* * *

><p>"Gah, who knew they would be that aggressive?" complained Replex, wincing as Hikari helped to bandage his wounds. He let out a loud yell when medicine was applied on the wound.<p>

"Well, they get hungry too you know; I guess human flesh is a delicacy here or something since not many adventurers come down. Hold still while I bandage you up properly!" snapped Hikari, growling softly at the squirming warrior who stuck his tongue out childishly. Soon, the two teenagers were busy arguing while Leo and Weniry watched them from the sidelines. Weniry was helping Leo to bandage his wounds. Compared to them, Leo and Replex were worse off for they received most of the injuries.

"They remind me of a couple," said Leo. He moved his head back as he avoided two small rocks thrown at his face.

"We heard that!" yelled Replex and Hikari at the same time.

"Don't say the same thing as me, idiot!" they yelled simultaneously again, glaring at each other before turning away. Leo and Weniry started laughing at their antics, resulting in a deep blush forming on Replex and Hikari's faces. Hikari pinched Replex's cheek in anger after she finished bandaging his injuries, bringing him over to where Leo and Weniry were.

"Well, Weniry's healing magic can only heal scratches and rejuvenate us, but eventually she'll be able to heal larger cuts and more serious injuries," said Leo, patting Weniry's head gently. Weniry giggled, sitting down as well.

"The drakes make a nice training ground though... Should we continue training there first? Or we could try the monsters inside the Cursed Sanctuary first," asked Weniry.

"I suggest drakes first, let's not get ahead of ourselves, alright?" said Leo. Replex scratched the bandaged areas a bit, earning a slap on the hand from Hikari.

"Hey!"

"Don't scratch your injuries damn it!"

"But they itch!"

"It's healing, of course it itches!"

"Hikari and Replex started arguing again..." Weniry sighed. Hikari gave up, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation as she went to a corner to sit down. Replex sulked a moment, before going to Hikari and sitting down beside her.

"Weniry, prepare to restrain Hikari if they start fighting again," cautioned Leo, getting up. Weniry nodded, getting up as well.

Half an hour passed, and Leo found it weird that Hikari and Replex were not making any noise. He approached the two of them, and nearly tripped over himself in embarrassment. Hikari was leaning on Replex's shoulder, and the two of them were sleeping peacefully. He sighed, turning to Weniry.

"I'll do a small scouting of the Cursed Sanctuary first, to check on the monsters inside; wait here and look after them for me Weniry, you're the most mature one out of the three anyway," Leo ordered, walking to the entrance of the sanctuary. Weniry smiled.

"He's so reliable," Weniry muttered, sitting beside Replex, taking her book out to study again.

As Leo walked into the Cursed Sanctuary, he noticed the piles of bones that lay at the sides of the blue rock path. Torches hung on the walls, lit by a magical fire that never seemed to burn out. He breathed in deeply to calm himself and took a closer look at his surroundings. The shrine was very old, and several of its pillars had already crumbled to mere concrete. There were several archways that decorated the middle path, some already broken while others were merely chipped. Leo ran his gloved fingers over the chipped parts, closing his eyes and tuning his ears into the surroundings.

"Quiet... too quiet. These chipped parts are not caused by age... But something destroyed or crashed against it, rather," Leo mumbled to himself. He turned just in time to duck a large purple dog-like figure that jumped over and crashed into the stone behind him. He rolled away hastily, nocking an arrow on his bow, ready to fire. The purple figure got up, shaking its head. It had long narrow pupils that were similar to a cat's, and two white horns on its head.

Leo watched its movements, eyeing the two horns on the monster's head. Quickly, he shot two arrows straight at the monster's horns, breaking it clean. The purple monster let out a loud yowl, charging around in circles recklessly and went straight for Leo. Leo gave a yell as he was thrown into a wall by the charging of the monster, getting up slowly.

"Damn charging bull thing..." he cursed, pulling another arrow from his quiver. Concentrating hard, he let the mana flow from his body into the arrow, watching it covered the arrowhead with blue-white energy. When the monster pounced at him again after having regained its senses, he slid under it and released the arrow swiftly.

"Arrow Blow!" he yelled as the arrow struck hard in the underbelly of the monster, sending it flying sideways to the ground from the impact. Leo got up and nudged the body gently with his foot. "Motionless... Dead, I hope," Leo said to himself, walking out of the Cursed Sanctuary, not realising there were other monsters with giant spears watching his exit silently from the dark corners...

* * *

><p>"The monster you saw just now was a Wild Kargo, I believe," said Weniry, after Leo had described to her the monster he encountered. "It's fairly fast and aggressive, but they shouldn't be the only monsters that inhabit the Cursed Sanctuary, or so the books in the Magic Library said."<p>

"Hmm... Now that you mentioned it I do recall hearing some grunts and growls deeper inside, but I thought it was just me," Leo said, rubbing his back gently. Replex was already awake and sharpening his Rubian Sword, humming a soft tune.

"I still think we'll be fine. I really, really wanna know what's inside the Cursed Sanctuary now, don't you?" he asked, with a large grin. He turned to look at Hikari, who was busy doing stunts by flipping off the wall, trying to see how far she could run up. Suddenly, she crashed into Replex's back when she back-flipped off the wall, results in both teenagers falling into an awkward heap.

"Ow! Hikari!"

"Sorry 'bout that, I misaimed my jump," Hikari grumbled, rubbing her head. Leo got up, grabbing the two teenagers by their ears.

"If you two have so much energy, put it into exploring the Cursed Sanctuary. We're about to go in," Leo said sternly. Both teenagers yelped, struggling to get away from Leo's firm and painful grip on their ears. When he finally let go of them, Replex and Hikari were busy glaring at each other, but quickly stopped when Leo started cracking his knuckles, annoyed.

"You really are a tough older brother, aren't you?" Weniry said, giggling. Leo placed his hands on his hips for a moment, before he grabbed his bow, sighing.

"Those two are a handful. I swear, Hikari has bursts of immature moments... Sometimes she's mature, sometimes she isn't," Leo complained, walking to the entrance of the Cursed Sanctuary. The rest quickly trailed behind him, entering the Cursed Sanctuary together.

The first thing that happened was Hikari scooting behind Replex in fear. Replex merely sighed at Hikari, trying hard not to fidget as Hikari grabbed onto the back of his shirt tightly from under his shield. Leo raised an eyebrow as he halted for a moment.

"Strange... The Wild Kargo I killed is gone," he said, turning to the rest.

"It could either be the result of magic that lies in this world or some other monster ate its dead corpse. I heard Master Grendel said that after a period of time, the Maple World itself may choose to retrieve the dead monster to add its life source to another monster- something like reincarnation I guess. It is also because of said life source that continents stay afloat, but that is -so far-, mere speculation," Weniry explained as she continued to stare at the pillar in front of her, as if fascinated by its structure.

"I wonder though- Why was it called the "Cursed Sanctuary"? It's almost like two contradictory words placed together..." Weniry continued to mumble softly to herself as she run her fingers up and down the pillar endlessly.

"Perhaps it's a cursed place for humans yet a sanctuary for monsters," Leo commented sarcastically, walking forward without waiting. Weniry gave a sharp squeal, picking up her pace to catch up to Leo and the rest.

"W-Wait for me!"

Replex looked around, observing all that is around him. He squinted his eyes as he saw something shining in the dark corner, trying to get a clearer look on it. "Hey, that's that-" Replex gave a loud yelp as he was cut off by a large furry beast charging at him, brandishing a large crescent-shape spear and clad in red armour, with orange horns. Leaping back, Replex pulled out his shield to defend against an overhead slash, grunting as he tried to push back the spear of the monster. Hikari was about to sneak up on it when lightning crashed down right in front of her, and a blue armour-clad monster knocked her out of the way with a rush. It held a large blue spear in its hands, grunting and breathing lowly.

Hikari grumbled as she fell onto her rear, rubbing her sore back. She saw a blue of grey and yellow as Leo dashed past her, and Weniry came from behind her and helped her up.

"Tauromacis and Taurospear," Weniry said as she assisted the thief, her staff at ready. "Those two monsters are quite tough. There may be more around, so we better stick together and hold them off, or find a place to run and hide," explained Weniry as she ran to the Tauromacis that Replex was defending against, and smack it hard in the back with her staff. The Tauromacis looked around for a moment, before it looked down at Weniry. Weniry gave a shaky laugh before launching a flaming arrow at it and running away again.

A loud bellow was heard from the Tauromacis as the Fire Arrow burned it. Replex quickly pulled out his sword from its sheath and slashed at the Tauromacis's legs. "The bigger they are..." The Tauromacis fell onto the ground with a loud crash as a cut appeared on its legs and Replex ran to the side to avoid any flying debri."The harder they fall," Replex completed.

Meanwhile, Hikari was dodging the wild swipes of a Taurospear nimbly, tossing Lucky Sevens like a mad lady. She growled as the monster used its spear to deflect the Steelies off and negate her skill. As she backed off, she backed into Leo.

"Leo?"

"Hey. Fancy meeting you here," Leo said with a gruff voice, his bow held up high in their as he blocked a Taurospear's spear with the body of his bow. He made a face as mana started concentrating in his bow, and he pushed back the Taurospear and sent it staggering it back with a burst of energy. "Damn, Power Knockback doesn't work well against a monster of this size," grumbled Leo as he released arrow after arrow at the still dizzy Taurospear. Hikari leapt up and onto the spear of the Taurospear, running fast and driving her dagger into the beast's neck, before pulling it out and scooting backward to prevent the blood from spilling onto her white clothes.

"Aaaaah!" cried Replex as he started rotating his entire body with his sword out, cutting and striking nearby Taurospears and Tauromacis with a strong Slash Blast. An addition Cold Beam from Weniry did the group of monsters in as ice chunks struck their bodies hard.

"Come on, there's a door over there! Let's run in there and get away!" yelled Leo, pointing at a larged door. Hikari's face paled, but her arm was grabbed by Leo and she was dragged along. Before she knew it, she was behind the heavy concrete doors that separated her and the rest from the monsters.

"Whew... That was a surprise... I wonder what's here?" said Replex as he started wandering around the large room. Several large rocks stood at the very end that had ancient symbols carved in them, along with chains that are tied to the tips of the rocks and then buried underground. A stone lay harmlessly in front of them. "Ah? Now what is this?" asked Replex, walking over to the stone.

Curious, Weniry and Leo went over to Replex as well to look at the stone. "I wonder what this stone does... It looks like a harmless one to me, yet it's placed here," said Replex as he reached out to grab it.

"Don't touch that!" Hikari's screams echoed through the room, but by then, Replex's hand had already made contact with the stone, and the stone started shaking wildly, before shattering.

An immense dark wind came from the large rocks in the room, and the chains started shaking, making a loud noise. Replex, Weniry and Leo retreated back as a dark shadow loomed over them, while Hikari gritted her teeth in anger and fear.

"I was too late...!"

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><p>AN: Aaah, chapter 15 is done! I may have mixed up a little in the placing of monsters pre big bang, so sorry 'bout that. I don't know if drakes eat human meat though. As always, till the next update, stay sharp!


	16. Broken Bonds

Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story or the NPCs in it, I only own my characters and the plot. The original characters are mine.

_Italics = _Thoughts

Chapter 16: Broken Bonds

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><p>"Holy Perion, what is that...!" yelled Replex as he backed off. A large beast emerged from the underground, only showing the top part of its body. The beast towered way over their heads, snarling menacingly at them and baring its white teeth. With two horns on its head and sharp claws, it let out an earth-shaking bellow, shaking the entire shrine and the ground.<p>

"No... It's released, Balrog!" Hikari screamed. "Hurry, run for it! We can't beat that thing right now!"

Leo, Replex and Weniry attempted to get away from Balrog, only to find themselves being electrocuted by black lightning. Weakened, injured and their senses numbed, the trio fell face first onto the cold, concrete floor.

"No... No!" screamed Hikari as she ran towards them, fear in her eyes.

"Hikari, run!" yelled Replex as he tried to get back up. Hikari stopped dead in her tracks, surprised. She hesitated, looking back and forth from the door to her friends.

"Hikari, move it!" yelled Leo desperately as a large claw reached out to swipe Hikari. Hikari snapped out of her thinking, moving back, but it was too late as the claw had snagged her loose pants and swung her into the wall. With a soft groan coming from her lips, Hikari struggled to keep her conscious as blood dripped slowly from the corners of her mouth.

"O-oh dear..." whispered Weniry as she forced herself up on her arms. "W-What are we going to do...? A-Are we going t-to d-die here?"

Balrog seemed to be struggling to break out of the ground, but there were still chains that remained on its abdomen and held it back, ancient blue symbols appearing on the surrounding rocks where the chains were. It reached out to grab the trio who lay helpless on the floor, and tossed them hard into the wall where Hikari lay injured. The wall behind them was cracked from the impact of them crashing against it, and the entire party now lay in a crumpled heap amidst the rubble.

_Fools!_ Balrog's voice echoed through the room. _How foolish to let yourselves be overcome by curiosity... Thanks to that I am now free!_

Replex was close to losing consciousness, while Weniry muttered the spell of Heal under her breath and tried to heal up the party. Regardless, each member had at least one or two ribs cracked, and could barely move due to the immense pain which they were not use to feeling.

"I-Is this the end...?" growled Leo as he coughed out blood from his mouth, groaning in pain.

A loud war cry was heard before two tomahawks came flying from out of the blue, and struck the hand of the beast. Balrog withdrew its hand in pain, roaring loudly. A tall, muscular figure landed on the ground before Replex, on his head a familiar chief feather hat.

"That hat... Master Dances with Balrog! Why are you here!" exclaimed Replex, tilting his head up barely to see his master, who pulled out a blue sword from nowhere and dashed up to Balrog.

"He's here to do what his name says- Dance with the Balrog, of course," an aged voice jokingly said from behind Replex. Weniry turned her head back and gasped when she saw Grendel behind her.

"H-How do you know that we're-" stuttered Weniry, but was silenced by a wave of Grendel's hand as he casted a healing spell over the trio, before casting it on Hikari.

"We were alerted by Jin, who felt something bad was about to happen. We were approaching the Cursed Sanctuary when we felt that the seal was broken," said Athena, poking her head out from behind Grendel. Jin came over, carrying a half-conscious Hikari in his arms. He placed her down gently on the ground, beside Replex, Weniry and Leo. He then pulled out a yellow and white blade.

"Deadly Fin..." whispered Hikari, her eyes half-closed.

"We better go help Dances with Balrog... We need to seal that thing before it breaks free completely," said Jin. Athena and Grendel nodded, joining the fray with Dances with Balrog.

"S-Should we be helping them?" Leo asked the others, uncertain for once. Hikari shook her head.

"We're tired, despite Master Grendel's healing spell, and we won't be contributing much other than being burdens for the Masters..." replied Hikari, as she tried to sit up.

So many skills were being used by all the four leaders rapidly, and the Balrog still seemed to be holding strong against it.

"Hurry! Seal it now!" yelled Grendel. A bright light shone from the four job instructors' weapons, and ancient writing started coming out of the weapons and whirling around Balrog, restricting its movement.

_I will... take...you with me!_ roared the Balrog, his horns glowing as carvings appeared on them. Everyone present widened their eyes as a bright light engulfed the entire shrine, blinding the party and the job instructors.

"What's going on!" yelled Replex as he shielded his eyes from the blinding white light. After the light died down, Replex, Weniry, Leo and Hikari's jaws dropped in astonishment, for their masters were no longer there, leaving behind a feather hat, a white hat with a star, a golden headpiece and a long red scarf.

The seal had been reformed, with symbols glowing on the large rocks that stood where Balrog originally was. Weniry covered her mouth with her hands, shocked and tears in her eyes that threatened to fall. Replex simply could not believe what had just happened, while Hikari and Leo were both silent, serious looks on their faces.

Silence followed as the four retrieved the items that their masters had left behind, before using the return scrolls to return back to Sleepywood.

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><p>Not a single word passed Replex, Weniry or Leo's lips as they stared motionlessly into the air in the Sleepywood Inn. Soon, sparks of anger grew as Leo started chiding Replex for breaking the seal, to which Replex argues back by saying he did not know the seal would be broken. Weniry tried to intervene, but was only silenced and rejected by the two teenagers. Slowly, the precious bond that had bonded the trio disappeared, replaced by distrust and hatred for each other. Neither side would admit their mistake, and thus, with heavy hearts, the trio returned to their respective towns to bring news of the events that occurred in the Cursed Sanctuary.<p>

Watching the three teenagers leave, The Rememberer could only sigh. "Their bonds have already been shattered between them. Soon, the passage of time will be disrupted as that lone person will try to make things right…"

Replex returned to Perion only to find out that his dear brother Karamel had left Perion without telling him. He saw a letter on his bed bearing Dances with Balrog's mark, and a clear brown crystal inside it, waves of energy flowing inside it. "Is this...?" Replex started as he read the letter Dances with Balrog had left behind him. With determination on his face, he brushed away the entrance covers of his tent and went to the top of the mountain where the Warrior's Shrine stood.

Similarly, Weniry and Leo both received crystals from their masters' envelopes, a green and yellow one respectively. They just could not believe the contents of the letter that was left behind. "They knew that this would happen... But why did they have to disappear?" Weniry murmured softly as she proceeded to the library.

Hikari brought Jin's scarf back to Kerning City, face emotionless as she bumped into Ned. Ned had a sorrowful look on his face, extending his arms to her, as if offering a hug. Hikari ran into his arms, burying her face in his chest as she mumbled. Ned slipped a clear jewel into her hands, patting her on the back gently as he looked to the direction of the World Tree.

"Master Jin knew this would happen… What will happen to Victoria Island now?"

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><p>The End…?<p>

A/N: This is the very last chapter for Rubian Destiny, a rather short(and kinda rushed) one at that. There may be a sequel coming up, depending on whether I have the time to do it, but I will most likely do it. Thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading Rubian Destiny!


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